Duke basketball legend rips into Zion Williamson’s antics

A former Duke basketball legend ripped into Zion Williamson for his absence. 

It has not been an easy season for former Duke basketball star Zion Williamson, and things got more difficult on Tuesday morning.

In an appearance on ESPN’s First Take, former Blue Devil JJ Redick threw Williamson, his former teammate, under the bus for his lack of engagement with the New Orleans Pelicans this season.

Williamson has seemingly been lost for the season due to a broken bone in his foot, which Director of Basketball Operations David Griffin said during the team’s media day in October should not keep the former No. 1 overall pick out of games.

Most recently, New Orleans acquired star guard CJ McCollum in a trade from the former Portland Trail Blazers. And McCollum said in an interview during NBA All-Star Weekend that he had not heard from Zion since being traded.

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“This is basic, basic level of humanity of being a teammate. Send a text to a guy that gets traded to your team,” Redick said on the popular morning show.

“That is just normal behavior. That is the bar minimum of what you have to do.”

Redick and Williamson were teammates with the Pelicans during the 2019-20 season and for the first half of the 2020-21 season until the Pelicans traded Redick to the Dallas Mavericks.

JJ Redick announced his retirement on September 21, 2021 and shortly after joined ESPN as an NBA analyst.

“This is a pattern of behavior with Zion that we are seeing again and again…I was his teammate. I can describe him as a detached teammate. That is an accurate statement,” Redick proclaimed.

There is still no timetable for a return to the court for Zion Williamson. Meanwhile, another foot surgery has been discussed, according to reports.

“This shows a complete lack of investment in your team, in the organization, in the city,” Redick continued.

New Orleans Pelicans hinting at future of Duke basketball star

The New Orleans Pelicans sent an email out to their fans regarding season tickets for next season, and it was abundantly clear that Zion Williamson was missing from the message.

https://twitter.com/FletcherWDSU/status/1495842431543263232?s=20&t=AACH5SQ6VI836gnmc7jEtQ

It has been rumored that Williamson would like to eventually play with RJ Barrett, his Duke teammate.

Barrett recently joined forces with Cam Reddish, another member of the 2018-19 Blue Devils, after the Knicks traded for the former Atlanta Hawks first-round pick.

Since CJ McCollum’s interview during All-Star Weekend, Zion Williamson has reportedly talked with his newest teammate.

New Orleans has been steadily improving this season after a dreadful start to the year as the Pelicans are two games out of a spot in the NBA Play-In Tournament.