On Saturday, Nov. 9, the New Orleans Pelicans announced that power forward Zion Williams was out indefinitely with a hamstring strain after undergoing further medical evaluation.
Williamson, who played for Duke for just one season, was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2019 and has been with the Pelicans ever since. However, his entire career in the NBA has been plagued by injuries, limiting just how much the former Blue Devil can truly shine.
The New Orleans Pelicans announced today that forward Zion Williamson has been diagnosed with a left hamstring strain. Medical imaging taken this morning confirmed the injury. Williamson will be out indefinitely and further updates will be appropriately provided. pic.twitter.com/DPG4dRf5MY
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) November 9, 2024
For reference, Williamson was drafted just two picks before former Duke teammate R.J. Barrett in 2019. Williamson has played in just 190 NBA games so far while Barrett has played in 335 throughout his career.
Earlier this season, Williamson already missed time due to an unspecified illness after initially hurting his hamstring in April. Just two weeks before his original hamstring injury, Williamson suffered a finger injury during the 2023-24 season.
Infamously, during the 2023-24 season, Williamson suffered from a foot injury for months on end shortly after returning from a quad injury.
Williamson's NBA career stopped almost as quickly as it began during his rookie season when he suffered an ankle injury that had lasting effects starting in October of 2019. Quite simply, Williamson can't stay healthy.
Not to mention, in his senior season for the Blue Devils, Williamson went down with a knee injury when he blew out his pair of Nikes –– momentarily tanking the company's stock value and his own draft value.
Before suffering his most recent injury, Williamson had played in and started 6 games for the Pelicans. He averaged 22.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 5.3 assists to start the year.