Zion Williamson is worth the huge amount of pelicans as the team is giving hundreds of millions of dollars to star players in the already busy NBA offseason. I want to prove that. I gave it to him.
New Orleans Pelican and Williamson signed a five-year maximum contract on Wednesday worth up to $ 231 million. The July 6th date was important, whether planned or not. Not only was Williamson's 22nd birthday, but last July 6th was when he learned that he had a broken right leg.
A year away from the catastrophic injury, Williamson and Pelican officially signed a contract at the New Orleans YMCA during his summer camp. Williamson's parents Lee and Sharonda Anderson, and his younger brother Noah, stood next to him when he signed the paperwork in front of about 80 camp participants.
After signing the contract, Williamson reported that "I'm trapped in a baby." He also thanked Pelican for continuing to believe in him, despite the rough start of his early career.
"Thank you for really sticking to me last year" Williamson team Said to the executives. "This year was a tough year. I'm not going to disappoint them when Pelicans give this birthday present. I'm not going to disappoint the city or the family, and above all. But I'm not going to disappoint myself. "
Williamson said the past year has been tough not only for him, but for his family as well. When Williamson's rumors of wanting to leave New Orleans began to swirl, he said his family began to feel the burden of it.
"So why do you hate New Orleans, why don't you want to be here when your family goes out to the public?" Williamson said. "I couldn't play because my leg broke. So I smoked. Every time I checked my phone, it was always negative. It was very hard trying to make the situation positive."
This deal is a monument to both parties. Pelican made a huge investment for Williamson to become their franchise player, and he proved that the skeptics were wrong, and he was the superstar he was scheduled to leave when he left Duke. You will face the pressure of becoming.
"I want to prove that I'm the winner," said Williamson, who was allowed to play basketball on May 26. He wants to win with his coach [Willie Green]. Like my teammates. The ultimate goal is to win the championship. It feels like that is what we all are aiming for. As Glyph said, we are hungry. Everyone is excited to see what the team did last year and add to it.
Williamson has a chance to show the NBA that Pelicans can return to the roster and achieve with him. Without him, New Orleans finished the season as the eighth seed, defeating the San Antonio Spurs in a play-in game and then losing to the Phoenix Suns in six games.
Pelican's young core, led by second-year coach Green, seeks to move up the Western Conference. The addition of veterans such as CJ McCollum and Larry Nance Jr. last season helped pull the team into the playoffs from the start of 1-12. You can further enhance your pelicans by adding healthy Williamson.
"Zion is a big part of what we want to achieve," Green said. "He doesn't always suit him. He can do it for any team in the league. It's the largest group we had when we met him. And frankly, I think it's going to be scary for the rest of the NBA. "
Longevity may be a concern, but Williamson is a staff member of McCallum and Pelican. He said he worked with him to improve his conditioning and put himself in a "great situation." Nevertheless, he does not change the way he plays.
"I'm a competitor, so I don't think when I'm on the court." Let's put this ball in. Hopefully my career will last longer, "Williamson said. "No, I'm thinking of getting that person out, so as long as I dunk, it will always happen. No matter what [Team Trainers and Management] is talking about, it will continue to happen. . I'm always dunking. Come on, man! "
