Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson is set to play for his third different head coach in three seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, and some members of his family are reportedly looking to get the 20-year-old superstar away from the organization. 

Per Shams Charania, Joe Vardon and William Guillory of The Athletic, certain members of his family "want Williamson on another team."

The report also noted that sources around the NBA are paying close attention to "Williamson's family members' thinly veiled unhappiness with the Pelicans and whether those feelings seeped into the player's own views."

Despite the apparent unhappiness from some members of Williamson's family, it was reported that people who know the Pelicans star well "say he just wants to win" and "remains focused on basketball and helping New Orleans win next season."

Stan Van Gundy is described as one of the "targets of criticism" from Williamson's family for being "too rigid and demanding as head coach." 

The Pelicans solved that problem Wednesday by announcing a parting of ways with Van Gundy after a 31-41 record this season. 

New Orleans hired Van Gundy in October to replace Alvin Gentry, who was fired after going 30-42 in 2019-20. 

There were some issues in New Orleans that became public during the season. JJ Redick, who the Pelicans traded to the Dallas Mavericks in March, said on his podcast not long after the deal that he doesn't trust the Pelicans front office for how it handled his situation. 

"Truthfully ... I think I was a little naive thinking I was in Year 15 and I attempted to do things right throughout my career. But in terms of this front office, yeah, it's not something where I would expect certainly the agents who worked on this with me to ever trust that front office again."

ESPN's Brian Windhorst (h/t NBC Sports' Dan Feldman) reported in February that Redick wanted to be traded to a team in the Northeast, close to where he has a family home. 

Per The Athletic, Williamson took note of Redick's comments about New Orleans' front office because it "stoked some of (his) own feelings with regards to the direction of the franchise."

The Pelicans still have Williamson under team control for at least three more seasons, assuming they don't agree to an extension when he's eligible to sign one next summer and extend him a qualifying offer after the 2022-23 season. 

Williamson was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. He has averaged 25.7 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in 85 starts for the Pelicans over the past two seasons. 

The relationship between New Orleans Pelicans head coach Stan Van Gundy and the rest of the team reportedly isn't ideal after a disappointing 31-41 season.

Sam Amick of The Athletic reported on KHTK radio (via Scott Kushner of NOLA.com) there was tension between Gundy and his players during the season. 

"In New Orleans, the players are not vibing with the coach," Amick said. "There's issues there."

Van Gundy was hired last offseason to replace Alvin Gentry after the Pelicans fell short of the playoffs last year. There were high expectations with an experienced coach who has brought three different teams to the postseason, leading the Orlando Magic to the NBA finals in 2009.

The roster also features some of the best young talent in the NBA between Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball, while the additions of Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams would provide veteran leadership and defensive ability. It was enough to at least make the playoffs and potentially do damage in the Western Conference.

Unfortunately, New Orleans struggled on both ends and displayed inconsistent effort on the way to finishing 23rd in the NBA in defensive efficiency.

Van Gundy's hard-nosed attitude wasn't enough to get the most out of the talent on the roster and it creates questions about his future with the team despite three more years on his contract.

There is still a lot to work with, especially after Williamson moved to point guard. With averages of 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game in his second season, the 2019 No. 1 overall draft pick can clearly be a key player for a playoff contender. 

The challenge will be for the coach to get on the same page with the players in 2021-22 and beyond.

Zion Williamson wants to keep the New Orleans Pelicans' young core together even though Lonzo Ball is a restricted free agent this offseason.

"It'd be dope," Williamson said of Ball staying with the Pelicans and playing alongside him and Brandon Ingram, per Jacob Rude of USA Today's Lonzo Wire. "I think me, Brandon and Zo, the three of us, we have a great relationship. I really would want Zo to come back and he knows that. But like I said, the reality of the situation is, Zo's a grown man so he's going to make the decision that's best for him. The only thing I can say is I hope he stays."

While New Orleans struggled with consistency on the way to a 31-41 record, it had success when Williamson and Ball were on the court together.

According to NBA.com, lineups that featured the pair finished the season with a plus-3.8 net rating. Lineups featuring Ball and Ingram were a plus-2.4, and the Pelicans had a plus-4.3 net rating with all three on the floor together.

Still, Ball figures to generate plenty of interest this offseason.

He is only 23 years old and shot a career-best 37.8 percent from three-point range during the 2020-21 campaign. His outside shot was among the biggest concerns when he entered the league as the No. 2 overall pick of the 2017 NBA draft, and it is now a relative strength to go along with his impressive passing.

The UCLA product also averaged a career-high 14.6 points per game and was more aggressive while seeking out his shot this season.

Rude noted the Pelicans will likely have to dip into luxury-tax territory for the first time in franchise history if they plan on keeping Ball and restricted free agent Josh Hart, but the former looks like a key building block for a team looking to build a long-term winner.

Plus, the most important building block wants him to stay.

New Orleans Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin has been fined $50,000 by the league for his criticism of officiating with regard to Zion Williamson.  

Griffin went on a tirade against referees during a press conference Friday, shortly after the team revealed the star is sidelined indefinitely with a fractured left ring finger. 

"He's injured because of the open season that there's been on Zion Williamson in the paint," Griffin said. "He has been absolutely mauled in the paint on a regular basis to the point where other players have said to him, 'I'm going to keep doing this to you' because they don't call it.

"I almost feel like they didn't know how to deal with someone so sudden and so strong. So they sort of threw their hands up in the air."

Williamson appeared to suffer an injury during the team's Tuesday game against the Golden State Warriors, and while he left the court briefly, he returned to finish the game. The severity of the injury was not revealed until the team departed for Philadelphia, when he said he was still dealing with discomfort and a CT scan was performed.

Griffin said he believed the injury didn't stem from a single incident; rather, it was "a blunt-force injury" that developed over time. 

"There's more violence encouraged in the paint against Zion Williamson than any other player I've seen since Shaq," Griffin said (6:35 mark). "It was egregious and horrific then, and the same is true now."

During his press conference, Griffin revealed Williamson had been dealing with an injury to his other hand "that quite frankly, nobody else would have played through" and should have prompted surgery.

Prior to the finger injury, Williamson had scored 75 percent of his points in the paint, a figure that ranked 16th among NBA starters who had played at least 30 games this season, per NBA Advanced Stats. 

The injury was a major blow to a Pelicans lineup that was already reeling from the absence of Brandon Ingram while fighting to stay alive in the race for the play-in tournament. At the time of the announcement, the Pelicans were 30-37 and 2.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson is out with a fractured ring finger, an injury that executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said "was avoidable." 

In response, Griffin said the team is sending video to the league showing how often Williamson has been hit under the rim, according to ESPN's Andrew Lopez.

"He's injured now because of the open season there's been on him in the paint," Griffin told reporters. "He has been absolutely mauled in the paint on a regular basis."

Williamson suffered the injury during the team's win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday. Though he was able to return to action that night, the team announced Friday he's out indefinitely.

The 20-year-old is averaging 27 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists through 61 games this season. 

The severity of the injury on his left ring finger was discovered during a CT scan on Thursday, the team announced. Griffin said Williamson told the team about the injury prior to their departure for Philadelphia, where they tip off against the 76ers at 7 p.m. ET on Friday.

"There's more violence encouraged in the paint against Zion Williamson than any other player I've seen since Shaq," Griffin said (6:35 mark). "It was egregious and horrific then, and the same is true now." 

Williamson has scored 75 percent of his points in the paint, a figure that ranks 16th among NBA starters who have played at least 30 games this season, per NBA Advanced Stats. 

Griffin also said that Williamson has been playing through an injury on his other hand "that quite frankly, nobody else would have played through" and could have required surgery. 

"What reward he got for that was injuring the other hand in a way that didn't need to happen at all," Griffin said. 

The Pelicans, who are also playing without Brandon Ingram, entered Friday at 30-36, 1.5 games behind the San Antonio Spurs for the final Western Conference play-in spot. 

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson praised teammate Lonzo Ball after Ball's 33-point outing in a 108-103 win over the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday.

Ball's outburst came after shooting 3-of-18 from the floor as New Orleans lost to Golden State on Monday. According to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, the veteran guard told Williamson he'd be better and duly delivered.

"I'm glad he's my teammate," Williamson said of Ball. "You love to have teammates like that can say stuff like that and come the next day and show out. He just wants to win. That's what I love about Lonzo. He just wants to win. And he'll do whatever it takes to win."

The Pelicans face a big question in the offseason with Ball as he approaches restricted free agency. Because of his contract status, the 23-year-old was the subject of trade rumors but remained in New Orleans through the March 25 deadline.

Ball is having the best year of his career. He's averaging 14.6 points, 5.8 assists and 4.7 rebounds and shooting 41.6 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Perhaps more importantly, the playmaking guard has forged a strong connection with Williamson. According to NBA.com, Williamson's offensive rating is 115.1 with Ball on the court compared to 111.1 when Ball is on the bench.

Restricted free agency can be tricky because it only takes one massive offer on the table to force the team into making a difficult decision. Ball probably won't command a max contract from an outside suitor because he's not yet one of the NBA's elite point guards.

In the outside chance that does happen, the front office may have reservations about committing long term. New Orleans doesn't want to hamstring itself too much financially, thus limiting how it can surround Williamson.

In general, though, Ball has shown through his performance why he deserves to remain a part of the Pelicans' core moving forward.

Adidas reportedly made nine payments worth a total of $5,474 to Zion Williamson's family between 2016-17, according to a report from Steve Wiseman of The News & Observer.

Court findings from a civil lawsuit between former college player Brian Bowen and the shoe and apparel company included a letter from attorney William Taft that detailed “potential transfers from (Adidas executive) Chris Rivers that may have been to Lee Anderson, Zion Williamson’s step-father.”

Per that report, Bowen’s attorneys requested interrogatories for Adidas' lawyers to answer, which included questions about Williamson's dealings with the company. Taft responded that Adidas “is aware of the following documents suggesting that certain fund transfers to Mr. Williamson or his family may have occurred.”

Taft noted that "“Rivers may have transferred $3,000 per month to the Williamson family for an unspecified period of time” and “Rivers may have transferred $1,000 to the Williamson family," though he added that “Adidas does not know the specific purpose of these transfers."

In the past, Williamson's former marketing agent Gina Ford accused him of receiving benefits to attend Duke that would have voided his NCAA eligibility for the 2018-19 season, per Wiseman, while attorney Michael Avenatti flat out accused Nike of paying Williamson to attend Duke. 

“The documents and the hard evidence do not lie,” Avenatti said in Sept. 2019. “Zion Williamson was paid to attend Duke.”

Avenatti, however, was convicted for attempting to extort the school to the tune of $25 million and could be sentenced for up to 40 years in prison. To date, no evidence of the payments he claimed were made to Williamson's family by Nike have been presented. 

The Golden State Warriors are going to see a lot of the New Orleans Pelicans down the stretch and wasted no time setting the tone Monday.

Golden State defeated New Orleans 123-108 at the Smoothie King Center in the first of three matchups between the teams in a 12-day span. Stephen Curry led the way for the victors, who improved to 33-32 on the season with their second straight win and moved four games ahead of the Pelicans in the race for the Western Conference play-in tournament. 

A solid showing from Zion Williamson was not enough for New Orleans as it fell to 29-36 and saw its own two-game winning streak come to an end.

Notable Player Stats

• Stephen Curry, G, GS: 41 PTS, 8 AST, 4 REB, 8-of-18 3PT
• Draymond Green, F, GS: 10 PTS, 15 AST, 13 REB, 3 STL, 2 BLK
• Andrew Wiggins, F, GS: 26 PTS, 4 REB, 2 BLK
• Zion Williamson, F, NO: 32 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK
• Brandon Ingram, F, NO: 19 PTS, 4 AST, 2 REB

Steph Continues to Torch the League

ESPN's broadcast of Monday's game had a superhero focus, which was fitting given the individual heroics of Curry, who has kept the Warriors in the Western Conference playoff picture.

All he did in April was set the NBA record for the most three-pointers in a month with 93 while averaging 37.3 points a night. It has reached the point that head coach Steve Kerr told ESPN's Ramona Shelburne that Curry is starting to remind him of Michael Jordan because the greatness "just becomes routine."

It was more of the same right out of the gates, as Curry nearly outscored the Pelicans by himself in the first quarter (21-17) and unleashed an array of step-back threes and crossovers as he glided through defenders and scored with his split-second release.

Golden State extended its lead to as many as 25 points in the first half with him leading the way, but it wasn't a one-man show. Draymond Green dished out assists as a point-forward, Juan Toscano-Anderson provided a spark off the bench and Andrew Wiggins took advantage of openings in the lane when the Pelicans collapsed on Curry.

Yet it all came back to No. 30, who seemingly had an answer for every Pelicans' run.

He continued to drain deep threes in the second half to keep the home team at bay, dished out assists when needed and sent Eric Bledsoe to the ground with a particularly impressive crossover. Cameras even caught Williamson laughing when Curry hit another triple from well beyond the arc.

His presence alone makes the game so much easier for teammates like Wiggins to rack up the points, and the Pelicans simply had no answer.

Zion Impresses but Pelicans Defense Struggles

The pressure was on a Pelicans team that is in now-or-never mode for this season with four of its final eight games against play-in tournament contenders in the Warriors and Memphis Grizzlies.

If Williamson is going to make the playoffs in his second season, it will require an impressive sprint to the finish line. He started off on the right foot with 37 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in New Orleans' first game in May in a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves and had the opportunity to build on it against the Warriors.

So much for that.

Rather than coming out with urgency, the Pelicans appeared to sleepwalk their way through the start as they fell behind by 25 points in the first half. To their credit, they battled back some with Williamson overpowering defenders on the block and Brandon Ingram providing secondary scoring, but the defense was too much of an issue.

New Orleans' efforts on that end undercut every comeback attempt even when it climbed to within single digits in the second half.

The silver lining for the Pelicans was the fact that Zion was unstoppable for extended stretches. The pressure of a late-season game with playoff implications didn't get to the 20-year-old, who figures to eventually play the Pelicans into the playoffs at some point in the near future even though it likely won't be this season.

What's Next? 

The two teams meet again Tuesday in New Orleans at 8 p.m. ET.

The NBA decided that Nikola Jokic should have been called for a foul at the end of the Denver Nuggets' victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night upon review of the call in the league's Last Two Minute Report. 

Eyebrows were raised when the referees failed to call Jokic's block of Zion Williamson at the rim as a foul. As a result of the block, Williamson missed what would have been the tying shot with 2.2 seconds left to play. 

The Nuggets won 114-112. 

Another angle of the play revealed that Jokic should have been called for the foul.

After the game, Jokic—who dropped 32 points to lead all scorers—acknowledged that he may have had "a little bit of luck" during the game, while Williamson chalked the no-call up to his lack of tenure in the league.

The second-year star scored 21 points in the loss.

Even if the game had gone to overtime, the Pelicans would have had to finish what they started in their fourth-quarter comeback. They never led in the game as the Nuggets improved to 41-21.

The Pelicans are back in action Thursday at 9 p.m. ET against the Oklahoma City Thunder, while the Nuggets will play at the same time against the Toronto Raptors.