They were teammates at Duke and now Zion Williamson and RJ Barrett will be foes on the court in the NBA Summer League when the New Orleans Pelicans take on the New York Knicks in the opening game of the tournament in Las Vegas on Friday night.

The Summer League has become an event. All 30 teams will play at least five games with the top eight heading into a single-elimination tournament. Last year, the tournament (which this year will feature Croatian and Chinese national teams) drew a record 139,972 fans.

You can catch Zion and the Pelicans take on RJ and the Knicks LIVE at 9:30pm et/6:30pm pt on TSN.ca and the TSN App.

And this will not be just any ordinary game in July. But the hype surrounding Friday night's contest that will feature the top pick in last month's draft taking on the No. 3 pick is unprecedented.

The Washington Post's Ben Golliver reports that the 17,500-seat venue is sold out 1,000 media credentials have been issued and general admission day passes - that normally sell for $35 - are going for $80. A lower-bowl seat that retails at $125 is going at nearly four-times that.

While people are obviously hyped for Williamson and Barrett's first professional game, do Summer League results foretell actual NBA success? Well, former Summer League MVPs include John Wall, Damian Lillard and Blake Griffin.

Barrett and Williamson's opportunity to follow in those footsteps starts on Friday night.