Concerning details emerge about what led to Zion Williamson’s suspension

Sep 27, 2021; New Orleans, LA, USA; Zion Williamson during a press conference at the New Orleans Pelicans Media Day. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Zion Williamson’s suspension from the New Orleans Pelicans this week apparently was not the result of a one-off incident.

The Pelicans announced the news on Friday that they were suspending their two-time All-Star forward Williamson for one game. Reports soon emerged that Williamson had been late for the team’s flight to Philadelphia for a game against the 76ers.

But it appears that this was part of a pattern for Williamson. NBA reporter Chris Haynes revealed shortly thereafter that the former No. 1 overall pick Williamson has been late for multiple practices this season on top of being late for this week’s team flight. As a result of those incidents, the Pelicans decided to suspend him.

Williamson has since issued an apology, saying in a statement of his own that he takes “full responsibility” and that there was “no excuse for being late to team activities.” You can read his full statement below.

Zion Williamson: “I take full responsibility for this suspension. I’ve worked extremely hard in rehab to get healthy to deliver for this team. There is no excuse for being late to team activities. I have apologized to Mrs. Benson and my teammates and coaches and I also owe an…

— Rod Walker (@RodWalkerNola) January 10, 2025

The 24-year-old Williamson has had just about every single issue under the sun during his time in New Orleans. That includes problems with injuries (Williamson has played in less than 200 total games since being drafted in 2019), problems with conditioning, problems with his eating habits, and even problems with the Pelicans themselves. Though Williamson has worked to address some of those issues in recent years, he has now apparently added problems with tardiness to his list of woes.