Since Zion Williamson has battled injuries since he was the NBA’s No. 1 overall pick in 2019, there is speculation that the New Orleans Pelicans want to put him behind them.
The team says that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin told SiriusXM NBA Radio that Williamson’s name has not come up in any business discussions.
«We never had a single [trade] conversation Zion was a part of. I think people sensed that we would be willing to move out of Zion because of all the injuries, because there’s always a lot of noise around Zion.» faucet said. «Fortunately for us, the noise never matches what we’re actually experiencing.»
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Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans signs his contract extension in New Orleans on June 26, 2022 (Layne Murdoch Jr./NBAE via Getty Images)
Williamson has made more headlines off the floor than on it recently. He found himself the subject of a Twitter controversy after former porn star Moriah Mills threatened to post sex videos of the two shortly after she apparently confessed her love for him.
«I think the unfortunate thing is that it’s a name that gets clicks no matter what the link says,» Griffin said. «Zion pulls his socks off. People click on it. So, it makes it very easy for people to fabricate rumors about him because they don’t have to have any real credibility behind what they’re saying to get clicks.
«As a society, this is not [just] true for sports, this is true on all platforms – reality no longer matters. Generating clicks is important. So unfortunately for Zion, he’s just an oddity and someone that people pay a lot of attention to and fabricate a lot of stories.»
The New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson against the Phoenix Suns at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona on December 17, 2022. (Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Sports)
Williamson recently admitted that he has had problems with his diet, which has also contributed to his not playing.
«It’s tough, man. I’m 20, 22, I have all the money in the world, well, it feels like all the money in the world. It’s tough,» Williamson said when asked about eating healthy and staying on top. physical form.
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«I’m at that point now, because of certain things, I’m putting wisdom back around me. I don’t want to say older because they get defensive, but I’m putting people around me with wisdom. Put certain things in the game And just go from there.»
New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California on March 6, 2023. (Kelley L. Cox/USA Today Sports)
The 6-foot-6, 284-pound Pelicans forward has been limited to 114 regular-season appearances out of a possible 308 games in his four years in the league. A foot injury sidelined Williamson for the entire 2021-22 season.
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In 29 games last year, he averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists. In his career he has accumulated 25.8 points, 7.0 boards and 3.6 plates per contest.
Fox News’ Chantz Martin contributed to this report.