From 247sports.com….
New court documents show Adidas allegedly paid the family of Zion Williamson in excess of $5,000 in 2016-17 prior to the former five-star and eventual 2019 NBA Draft’s No. 1 overall pick signing with Duke men’s basketball, the News & Observer reports.
Despite the NCAA clearing Williamson to play in 2018 and Duke’s own investigation in 2019 finding alleged payments to the player’s family holding no merit, “court documents filed as part of a civil lawsuit between former college player Brian Bowen and Adidas detail a series of payments made to Williamson’s family in 2016 and 2017 prior to his Blue Devils’ career,” writes the N&O’s Steve Wiseman.
Bowen lost his NCAA eligibility after the FBI’s investigation into corruption in college basketball and later sued Adidas, claiming the company engaged in money laundering and bribery that would end up ruining his collegiate career.
