The Pelicans have suspended forward Zion Williamson one game for a violation of team policies, the club announced today in a press release.
“This one game suspension is a result of failing to meet our team standards,” executive VP of basketball operations David Griffin in a statement. “His dedication to this organization is of paramount significance to us and to him. He has taken accountability for his actions and reaffirmed that commitment to the team today. I’m confident he will continue to evolve positively on and off the floor.”
Williamson will be unavailable for Friday’s game in Philadelphia, then will rejoin the team on Saturday, according to the Pelicans.
Although the team didn’t provide any additional details on the exact nature of the violation, Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link) reports that Williamson was late for the Pelicans’ team flight to Philadelphia on Thursday, while NBA insider Chris Haynes (Twitter link) says the 24-year-old has also been late for multiple practices this season.
Williamson confirmed in a statement of his own that the suspension was related to his tardiness.
“I take full responsibility for this suspension,” he said. “I’ve worked extremely hard in rehab to get healthy to deliver for this team. There is no excuse for being late to team activities. I have apologized to (Pelicans owner) Mrs. (Gayle) Benson and my teammates and coaches and I also owe an apology to the fans. I can and will be better as a teammate and member of this organization.”
Williamson just returned to action on Tuesday after missing more than two months due to a hamstring strain. The former No. 1 overall pick looked good in his first game back, racking up 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting in 28 minutes of action. He also contributed six rebounds, four assists, and three steals and was a +8 in a game New Orleans lost by seven points.
However, Williamson sat out on Wednesday in the second game of a back-to-back and will now miss Friday’s contest too, so his second outing of 2025 won’t happen until Sunday, when the Pelicans visit Boston.
By rule, the suspension will cost Williamson 1/145th of his $36,725,670 salary for the 2024/25 season. That works out to $253,280.
Bro was definitely caught wolfing down 10 whoppers from BK two nights ago
Yet another indication that Zion’s struggles stem from character, not bad luck.
Perfectly timed for those teams that might be tempted to roll the dice on a trade.
Final three years of the Zion contract are partially guaranteed.
more games played = more money from Pelicans owners
Next season could be as low as $7.9 million
Gabe Vincent could make more money than Zion next season
Good chance Gabe Vincent plays more games than Zion next season…
“Lemme just eat 10 more beignets before I go to work!” – Zion Williamson
No smart organization is going to give up significant assets to acquire an injury-prone, lazy, and overweight player. But all it takes is one dumb organization who will talk themselves into the buy low narrative while still giving up too much.
Hurry get your fat jokes in everyone maybe they’ll still be funny and original
Zion’s list of things that need to be done today:
1. Pack suitcase.
2. Get to airport by X o’clock.
Most people who work for a living are expected to do a lot more than that. What’s he gonna do when he has to live in the “real” world? The money will obviously vaporize quickly after he is out of the league.
Big Macs pushing $9/pop around here, he’s f’d.
“He has taken accountability for his actions and reaffirmed that commitment to the team today. I’m confident he will continue to evolve positively on and off the floor.”
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Gotta pump him to dump him.
Pelicans will be screaming from the rooftops that this is the healthiest, leanest, most accountable version of Zion ever. Until his next injury.
The guy does not have the mindset of a professional basketball player. Being on time for practices and flights and other times players are expected to show up is one of the easiest things to do right, and something he should have been doing from the moment he signed his first New Orleans contract.
I would honesty just trade this guy for anything at this point. Just move on. Dude might be the worse of the fraudsters (Simmons, Kawhi, Embiid, George, etc).
Zion not going to change and if he does it will be too late as his prime won’t be maximized. I don’t feel sorry for him as he has all the money in the world to be in better shape, money can’t buy discipline though. The organization is to blame too, they rewarded him with a max contract for doing barely anything, has he even played a playoff game? They should have let him go to FA as they have RFA rights to match any deal.
And they surely must’ve known of his bad habits before they gave him that max. Just an indefensible decision given the circumstances at the time. If they had dealt him before the additional injuries and the full scope of his laziness became known maybe they still could’ve gotten a good return for him. But those days are likely gone.