Zion Williamson left the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort on Thursday morning to attend to an urgent family medical problem, the New Orleans Pelicans announced in a statement, adding that the striker intends to join the team. at a later date during The NBA Restart.
“We fully support Zion’s decision to leave the NBA campus to be with his family,” Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said in the team’s statement. “Out of respect for the Williamson family, we will have no further comment at this time.”
The league requires Williamson to return to quarantine again for a period that will last at least four days and could be extended to a significantly longer period if not examined daily during his absence from the team.
Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry addressed the media after practice on Thursday, but was unable to set a firm timetable for Williamson’s possible return.
“I don’t know anything at the moment from the point of view of his return,” Gentry said. “Obviously, for us, we are very supportive of him and his family, and his privacy during this time at this time.”
In early July, as teams prepared to arrive at the NBA campus in Orlando, Williamson told The Associated Press that he and New Orleans were preparing for a playoff. That seemed highly unlikely when he was sitting on the sidelines with a surgically repaired knee, watching New Orleans work through a 13-game losing streak, the worst in the franchise, which left the club with a 6-22 record.
“I think this team can be really special when we are all healthy,” said Williamson.
The 6-foot-6-inch, 285-pound Williamson was expected to be out for 6 to 8 weeks when he underwent surgery after ripping his right lateral meniscus the day before the regular season began. He ended up losing about three months and 44 games. When he finally returned on January 22, fans filled the stands and Williamson routinely delighted them with reflections around the rim.
“As for the impact on our team, we played 44 games without it,” Gentry said. “We had a tough stretch there. We also had a period where we won 12 out of 16 without him. Obviously, he is a great player that we will miss. But the only thing we always talk about, even when we go through hard times, is, ‘The next man.’ We are a good team We are a deep team. That is the only thing we are. We are a very deep team. So, we will have boys who will step in and play. We will have boys who will improve their game a little more. “
Williamson averaged 23.6 points and 6.8 rebounds in the 19 games he played. New Orleans won 10 of those games and seemed to be gaining momentum when the season was suspended on March 11 due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Still, that period kept the Pelicans close enough to the playoff image – 3 1/2 games behind Memphis for the eighth and final playoff seed in the Western Conference – to be included among the 22 NBA teams. They will end their regular seasons at a downtown location in Orlando, beginning July 30, when New Orleans plays the Utah Jazz.
It’s been 18 years since an NBA team started a regular season 7-23 through 30 games and still made the NBA playoffs. It’s been 35 years since a club endured a 13-game losing streak and made it to the postseason.
“With [Zion] gone to take care of his family, we are holding the fort for him, “said shipowner Jrue Holiday.” He is our brother and he needs to take care of his family and take care of his business. “
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
