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On Thursday, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson departed the Walt Disney World Resort in order to attend to an urgent family medical matter.
The organization did not offer additional details on Williamson leaving out of respect for his family but the incident added yet another obstacle the 20-year-old has endured this season. Of course, Williamson missed most of the season after undergoing knee surgery last year and appeared to be just getting into a groove before the season was suspended on March 11.
J.J. Redick, Williamson’s teammate on the Pelicans, said Thursday on his podcast that he felt awful for him as Williamson appeared to be in a good place prior to leaving the team.
I reached out to Zion and I told him we’re going to do our best to hold it down for him until he gets back, whenever that is. As a teammate, he is a family member so we’ll do our best to keep this thing rolling. Whatever is going on, we want the best for him. I feel awful for him because so much of this season has been a rollercoaster for him and it seemed like he was in such a good place so, hopefully, we get him back soon.
The Pelicans said Williamson will eventually re-join the team but will be forced to quarantine for a period of four days prior to returning to play. He will need to pass a coronavirus test each day in quarantine.
The rest of the players on the Pelicans will need to come together in order to fill the void of Williamson but his family situation certainly takes precedence over the game of basketball.
The Pelicans begin the season restart July 30 vs. the Utah Jazz.
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