Zion Williamson to pay Smoothie King Center workers through suspension
Zion Williamson made the announcement on Friday evening that he would cover the pay of the Smoothie King Center workers during the NBA work stoppage due to the potential spread of COVID-19.
There aren’t many 19-year olds like Zion Williamson.
Amid the suspension of the NBA season due to the COVID-19 virus, Williamson pledged to provide the pay for the workers at the Smoothie King Center, the home of the New Orleans Pelicans, for the 30-day suspension of the league.
Other NBA players like Kevin Love and Giannis Antetokounmpo have also pledged to provide the wages of their arena workers, as well have teams like the Dallas Mavericks.
Zion Williamson made the announcement on his Instagram early Friday evening.
As the No. 1 overall draft pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson is set to earn $44.2 million over his first four years in the league with $20 million guaranteed in his first two years.
The rising star in the NBA also signed a record shoe deal with Jordan Brand over the summer that is worth $75 million over seven years.
ALSO READ: Prized Duke basketball signee ‘locked in’ on next season
Williamson has only played 19 games in his NBA career after sitting out the majority of the season recovering from knee surgery in the preseason. The former Duke Blue Devil is averaging 23.6 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 58.9 percent shooting from the field and 46.2 percent from 3-point range.
The grace of Zion Williamson came while noticing that many of the workers are still recovering from the devastating Hurricane Katrina, which happened in the summer of 2005, when the phenom was just 5-years old.
ALSO READ: One banner the 2019-20 Blue Devils deserve
Commissioner Adam Silver said that the NBA’s suspension will last at least 30 days, but no one truly knows when, or if, the league will resume this season as the Pelicans hold a 28-36 record, three and a half games behind the Memphis Grizzlies for the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.