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Zion Williamson made the NBA All-Star game in his second season with the New Orleans Pelicans. He averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 2021. He was the dominant, rim-rattling phenom many thought he would be, especially after one great season at Duke and a rookie NBA campaign that saw him average 22.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Then came the foot injury, which cost him the entirety of the 2022 season. Along with that came the whispers casting doubt on how in shape he was. The doubts that have many wondering whether or not he can be a long-term superstar in the NBA.
At 6-foot-6, 284-pounds, can Williamson’s body (a frame big enough to play left tackle in the NFL) hold up in the increasingly high-flying and athletic sport of NBA basketball over a career?
Almost as if his first two seasons were forgotten, the injury put a dark cloud over Williamson. That, and the fact that there were questions as to whether or not he wanted to be in New Orleans.
Those questions were answered when the Pels offered Williamson a five-year max extension potentially worth up to $231 million. New Orleans wanted him, and Williamson clearly wanted to make a commitment to the NBA city that raised him.
Any concerns about his future health were obviously put on the back-burner by the Pelicans as well. For Williamson, though, his next era of basketball is more than just proving his doubters wrong. He wants to prove, perhaps even just to himself, that he can be a winner.
“I want to prove that I’m a winner,” Williamson said after signing his new contract, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN. “It’s as simple as that. I want to win with coach. As well as with my teammates. The ultimate goal is to win the championship. I feel like that’s what we’re all striving for.”
Williamson has won personal accolades galore and if he does stay healthy, most NBA experts would tell you that he has what it takes to have a Hall of Fame career.
But is he a winner?
The young star clearly feels that he still has to prove that point.
Notably, Williamson’s time with Mike Krzyzewski at Duke ended in a loss to Michigan State in the Elite Eight. For their part, the Pelicans haven’t had a winning season since Williamson was drafted No. 1 overall in 2019. This is despite the fact that they actually made the playoffs last season as a No. 8 seed.
Now that Williamson is locked in long-term contractually, he wants (and perhaps needs) to prove that he can remain locked in physically and mentally in order to lead a franchise that has never seen a championship parade — whether as Hornets or Pelicans — to glory.
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