Zion Williamson OK with losing Rookie of the Year to Ja Morant

Zion Williamson was unable to overtake Ja Morant in the Rookie of the Year race, in part due to the early suspension of the season, but the New Orleans Pelicans star seems to be at peace with the situation.

In an interview Monday with Ernie Johnson that aired on the NBA’s official social media pages, Williamson spoke on his Memphis Grizzlies counterpart Morant likely winning Rookie of the Year honors.

“My goal was if I could rally my team to the playoffs, hopefully I could make a run for it,” said Williamson, per Christian Clark of the New Orleans Advocate. “But it’s God’s plan at this point. If Ja wins it, I’m going to be happy for Ja.”

Williamson missed the first three months of the season as he recovered from meniscus surgery, and the Pelicans fell behind in the Western Conference playoff picture in his absence. When he finally did make his debut, he only got 19 games to make an impact before play was suspended on March 11.

As for Morant, who was drafted No. 2 overall last year to Williamson’s No. 1, he was a big reason why the Grizzlies outperformed expectations this year. With 17.6 points and 6.9 assists per game, the former Murray State star had led Memphis to the No. 8 seed in the West when the season was suspended.

Williamson certainly had his moments this season though, and it sounds like he is doing a good job of maintaining perspective here with his entire NBA career still ahead of him.