Zion Williamson is expected to be the NBA’s next superstar, as the former Duke standout and top overall pick will enter his first NBA season with as much hype as any prospect in the last decade.
When the Pelicans landed the No. 1 pick an the right to take Williamson, it felt like poetic justice, as New Orleans was dealing with a trade request made by their last top overall pick, Anthony Davis. The haul they received in return for Davis, along with a strong free agency, has built a team around Zion that’s ironically better than any supporting cast Davis ever had in New Orleans. That’s made the Pelicans a trendy sleeper pick to sneak into the playoffs in the loaded Western Conference, but no matter what, the table is set for Zion to have a sustained run of excellence in the Big Easy.
That has Williamson excited and despite the silly rumors that he was considering returning to Duke for another year to avoid going to the Pelicans, it seems Zion has taken to his new home. In a recent interview with Complex, Williamson discussed all manner of topics, including the increase in player movement, particularly by those that were drafted into smaller markets.
Williamson’s answer will undoubtedly garner attention as he explained why he hopes he’ll buck the trend and remain with the Pelicans his entire career — citing Kobe and Dirk as inspirations — and is sure to note that if something were to happen to cause him to leave it would have nothing to do with disliking the city.
“I’m gonna try to give you the best answer I can give,” Zion said. “Personally, I’ve always told myself I want to stay with one team. Growing up, I loved what Kobe did and Dirk did, and I think if anybody’s a Michael Jordan fan, they kinda erase the Wizards thing. He still did very well there, but at the end of the day, I don’t think people look at it from the business point of view. Some people want to stay with one team but they get traded. My intentions are to stay with the Pelicans my whole career, but if something happens, I wouldn’t leave because I hate the place. It’s just the business.”
It’s clear that, from the jump, Zion is aware that he doesn’t want to say something that gets dug up in eight or nine years should he choose to leave the Pelicans, but also is an incoming rookie who is excited and is optimistic about his team’s future. That gets him to the point of saying his “intentions” are to be in New Orleans for the entirety of his career, but also keeps him savvy enough to hedge and say anything could happen but it would never be because he dislikes the city.
Now, if he does leave, this will still be a quote people come back to but Williamson can point to the “if something happens” line and explain what it was that changed — if they Pelicans never achieve significant on-court success, then it’ll be fairly obvious. Hopefully for the Pelicans, they’ll find the sustained level of success with Williamson as their star that they never could with Davis and Williamson will be able to fulfill his goal of wearing one uniform his entire career.
