On Friday, Zion Williamson stepped up to the plate for the New Orleans Pelicans arena staff, committing to pay the salaries of Smoothie King Center arena employees for 30 days.
Williamson made the announcement on his Instagram, accompanied by the following caption:
The people of New Orleans have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I was Drafted by the Pels last June, and some of the most special people I have met are those who work at smoothie King Center. These are the folks who make our games possible, creating the perfect environment for our fans and everyone involved in the organization. Unfortunately, many of them are still recovering from long term challenges created by Katrina, and now face the economic impact of the postponement of games because of the virus. My mother has always set an example for me about being respectful for others and being grateful for what we have, and so today I am pledging to cover the salaries for all of those Smoothie King Center workers for the next 30 days. This is a small way for me to express my support and appreciation for these wonderful people who have been so great to me and my teammates and hopefully we can all join together to relieve some of the stress and hardship caused by this national health crisis. This is an incredibly resilient city full of some of the most resilient people, but sometimes providing a little extra assistance can make things a little easier for the community.
In response to his announcement, the New Orleans Pelicans released the following statement:
Statement from the New Orleans Pelicans: pic.twitter.com/BIE9IdGX97
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) March 13, 2020
Williamson’s move comes in the wake of both Kevin Love and Giannis Antetokounmpo donating to the workers of their respective arenas. Love pledged $100,000 to the Cavaliers’ arena staff while Antetokounmpo donated $100,000 to the Fiserv Forum staff, which was later matched by the Bucks.
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