THE LINE WAS wrapped around the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas. It was July 5, 2019, and the debut of Zion Williamson was here.
After waiting through the first three games, fans were eager to see the main event: Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans taking on the New York Knicks and his former Duke teammate, RJ Barrett.
It didn’t take long for Williamson to show off exactly why people were so excited about his NBA potential.
With a little less than five minutes left in the first quarter, Pelicans guard Trevon Bluiett missed a floater in the lane. Knicks center Mitchell Robinson popped the ball into the air and into the waiting arms of teammate Kevin Knox. Bluiett flashed in front of Knox, forcing him to bring the ball backward as he was trying to protect it.
The only problem for Knox, however, was that Williamson was still there. As he saw the ball in Knox’s arms, Williamson took his opportunity.
Williamson grabbed the ball away from Knox, who fell to the ground looking for a call that never came. Robinson turned back around but realized any block attempt was a futile one.
Williamson took one dribble, launched off two feet and slammed it home. He flexed with one arm as he backed away from the goal, much to the delight of the thousands in attendance.
Williamson played less than three minutes in the second quarter, and nine minutes total. The team announced at halftime that he had suffered a bruised left knee and would sit out for the remainder of summer league.
Before Williamson’s teammates could close out their 80-74 lead, a 7.1-magnitude earthquake suspended play in the fourth quarter. The game never resumed.
In what has become a microcosm of Williamson’s career, his stint on the court was short-lived.
The Summer of Zion was shut down before it began. Now, nearly three years later, he has played just 85 games in three seasons, dealing with a series of injuries that each came with their own series of vague updates from the organization about his status and timeline.
The Pelicans have offered several such updates this season. In fact, the team still has not given an official timeline for Williamson’s return from the offseason foot surgery that kept him out all season. His status remains “out indefinitely” for Friday night’s play-in game against the LA Clippers, with the winner advancing to the playoffs.
That lack of clarity has become a hallmark of Williamson’s time in New Orleans, which has been dotted with highlights but clouded by questions about his health, his dedication to the organization and whether the team and its star player will ever be on the same page.
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Oct. 5, 2019: The Pelicans host an intersquad scrimmage at the Smoothie King Center that officials estimate more than 10,000 fans attended. It was New Orleans’ first glimpse of Williamson.
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Oct. 7, 2019: Williamson finishes with 16 points and seven rebounds on 6-of-13 shooting in his preseason debut against the Atlanta Hawks.
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Oct. 9, 2019: In a glimpse of how efficient he could be, Williamson goes 12-of-13 from the floor in his second preseason game as he finishes with 29 points in 27 minutes against the Chicago Bulls.
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Oct. 13, 2019: Williamson notches a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in his fourth preseason game, this one against the San Antonio Spurs.
Zion Williamson says he has tremendous respect for two-time DPOY Rudy Gobert and hopes he can continue converting on 3-point attempts.
THE PELICANS WERE set to wrap up the preseason with their fifth and final game against the Knicks, but as New Orleans traveled from the Big Easy to the Big Apple, Williamson stayed behind to get imaging done on his sore right knee. In what would become a recurring theme, the team’s official release ended with, “Further updates will be forthcoming when available.”
Just over 24 hours before the Pelicans were set to open the 2019-20 NBA season against the defending champion Toronto Raptors on national television, the team gave…
Read More: A comprehensive timeline of Zion Williamson’s three-year, 85-game career