Pelicans suspend Zion Williamson for violating team policies
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson was suspended for Friday night’s road game against the Philadelphia 76ers for a violation of team policies, vice president of operations David Griffin announced.
According to ESPN, Williamson was late for Thursday’s flight to Philadelphia with the rest of the traveling party waiting for a lengthy time period.
It apparently isn’t the first time Williamson has been late for a team-related activity.
“There were several occasions that led up to this and that’s how we got to this decision,” New Orleans coach Willie Green said during his pregame press conference.
Williamson expressed his sorrow for the situation through a statement.
“I take full responsibility for this suspension,” Williamson 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 is slated to rejoin the team on Saturday. New Orleans visits the Boston Celtics on Sunday.
Green said the team will look ahead.
“He apologized for his mistakes,” Green said. “He’s taken accountability. For us, we put the statement out and now we move forward and get ready for tonight’s game.”
Friday is New Orleans’ 39th game. Williamson has played in just seven of them this season due to a hamstring injury and is averaging 22.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists.
Since he was the No. 1 overall pick in 2019, Williams has played in just 191 games while proving to be injury prone. He has career averages of 24.6 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.2 assists.
The Pelicans sustained another blow Friday by announcing that forward Herb Jones is out indefinitely with a torn labrum in his right shoulder.
The damage was detected during an MRI exam performed Thursday.
“It’s a difficult blow for Herb and our entire group,” Green said. “He means so much to our team and to our organization To not have him on the floor with our guys, it’s definitely a blow to our group.”
Jones left Wednesday’s 119-100 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers after taking three shots from the floor in 18 minutes.
Jones, 26, has averaged 10.3 points with 3.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 20 games (all starts) this season. He also is a standout defender and is averaging 1.9 steals per game.
In four NBA seasons, all with New Orleans after he was drafted in the second round in 2021 out of Alabama, Jones has averaged 10.1 points with 3.8 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 240 games (231 starts). – Rappler.com