Zion Williamson’s birthday this year was much better than the one he celebrated a year ago.
On Williamson’s 21st birthday last summer, the Pelicans star found out he fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. The injury ultimately cost him the entire 2021-22 season.
During his time away from the court, questions swirled around Williamson’s desire to be in New Orleans, his understanding of being a good teammate and his willingness to keep his body in peak physical form.
Advertisem*nt
On his 22nd birthday, he made sure to silence at least the first of those three questions.
“It was a tough year. For the Pelicans to come give me this birthday gift, I’m not going to let them down,” Williamson said during a news conference announcing his five-year maximum contract extension that could be worth up to $231 million. “I’m not going to let my family down. I’m not going to let the city down. And most importantly, I’m not going to let myself down.”
Williamson constantly wrestled with the fear of letting the city and his family down while his foot injury forced him to the sidelines. It was the second major injury the 2019 No. 1 overall pick had to endure across the first three seasons of his pro career. During his rookie season, Williamson underwent arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, missing 44 games. Then, his recovery from offseason foot surgery featured several setbacks, and he wasn’t sure how long it would take him to get back to his dominant form, if he ever did.
While Williamson sat out, speculation about his future with the franchise went into a frenzy. Those rumors, combined with his inability to get back on the court, gnawed at Williamson. It was a major reason he decided to rehab away from the team, in Portland, during the season, which backfired and only fueled questions about his commitment to the franchise. His silence during the season, both publicly and with certain members of the organization, further increased the noise.
But the time away helped him regain his mental focus, as well as affirmed what he already knew: New Orleans was the place for him. On Wednesday he made a point of forcefully pushing back against those who doubted his desire to be a part of the Pelicans.
“In the beginning of the season, I told the world, ‘If y’all ever want to know if I want to be here.’ Instead of asking me, the world just ran with narratives,” he said. “So when my family was going out in public on why we don’t like New Orleans, why we don’t want to be here when that’s not the case at all. I wasn’t able to play because my foot was broke. So that sucked. Every time I checked my phone, it was always negative. Even when you’re trying to make a positive of the situation, it was very tough.”
Advertisem*nt
The Pelicans certainly helped their chances of keeping the star forward with what they were able to accomplish without him. After a 3-16 start to the season, New Orleans climbed its way up the standings, grabbed a spot in the Play-In Tournament, then beat the Spurs and the Clippers to earn the No. 8 seed and a first-round matchup against the top-seeded Phoenix Suns. First-year coach Willie Green established himself as a highly respected voice in the organization. Brandon Ingram grew as a leader on and off the court. The front office pulled off a deal to acquire valuable veteran pieces CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr.
If Williamson had any doubts about his future, seeing how much the team grew throughout the season made them evaporate.
Adding Williamson to the core the Pelicans built last year gives them a chance to be one of the most dangerous teams in the West next season.
“Frankly, I think it’s going to be scary for the rest of the NBA,” Green said. “Now, it’s going to take work to get there. What groups play well together? How can we take advantage of different mismatches? How can we put all of our guys on the floor and give them an opportunity to be successful? That takes work. But it will all come together at some point throughout the course of the season, and when it does, I think we can be a scary team.”
Williamson couldn’t wipe the smile off his face on Wednesday, even while recounting the tough times he went through last season. Some of that joy came from being able to visualize his future with the team. (The large sum of money headed his way also helped.)
But a big part of it had to do with the location of his contract signing ceremony. Williamson decided to have it at a YMCA, where he’s been holding a camp for around 80 kids, including his little brother, Noah.
Thinking the kids should've sent a double on this one pic.twitter.com/LdE90iJZQd
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) July 6, 2022
Williamson signed his contract while seated at a table next to his mother, Sharonda Anderson, and stepfather, Lee Anderson, with many of the kids from the camp behind them. Once he finished signing the papers, Williamson smiled and said, “I’m locked in, baby.”
"I'm locked in, baby."
Zion Williamson has officially signed his contract extension with the Pelicans pic.twitter.com/3eEOi9uX38
— Will Guillory (@WillGuillory) July 6, 2022
Williamson’s work with those YMCA kids symbolizes what he hopes to do more often around different communities in New Orleans.
“I came up in a camp just like this for many summers,” Williamson said. “That’s how I fell in love with the game of basketball.”
That wasn’t the only way Williamson tried to show his commitment. He also did something few ever expected: He signed a contract that did not include a player option. It was the same thing Ingram did when he signed his five-year deal with New Orleans in 2019.
Advertisem*nt
“Zion wanted to make that same level of commitment to this organization,” said Pelicans EVP of basketball operations David Griffin. “He wasn’t looking for a way out. He was looking for a way to stay. His family was looking for a way to be more involved with the community, and you see this here today.”
Now that the contract is out of the way and most of the distractions are behind him, Williamson’s main focus is getting back on the court so he can prove his doubters wrong.
With Williamson healthy and just about the entire roster slated to return, the Pelicans are hoping to make some serious noise next season. They may have one of the most talented rosters in franchise history going into the season.
After already putting up historic numbers in 2020-21 while reaching the All-Star Game, Williamson isn’t as focused on racking up individual accolades. He only wants to prove he can win at the highest level in New Orleans.
“I want to prove that I’m a winner,” he said. “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. Like Griff said, we’re hungry. Y’all saw this past year what the team did, and I’m just excited to add to that.”
(Top photo of Zion Williamson: Layne Murdoch Jr. / NBAE via Getty Images)
Will Guillory is a staff writer for The Athletic, covering the New Orleans Pelicans. Before joining The Athletic, he was a writer at The Times-Picayune/NOLA Media Group, and he's been on the Pelicans beat since 2016. He is a New Orleans native. Follow William on Twitter @WillGuillory
