Author: Monojit Mandal
A video showing NBA star Zion Williamson has gone viral on social media. After suffering a series of unfortunate injuries during his four-year NBA career, the lasting effects seemed to linger as the video hinted at Zion’s departure. The eye-catching headline implied that the 22-year-old was leaving the league, much to the chagrin of his devoted followers. Fortunately, the facts behind the video have now come to light, putting an end to the rumors about Williamson’s departure.
Zion has suffered several injuries since his debut in 2019 as the first pick of the draft. He has missed 194 games in the last four years, which represents an alarming 58.7% of his career. Williamson was sidelined during the 2021-2022 NBA season due to a fractured foot, which caused him to miss the entire year. He has also missed eight games this season due to Covid protocols. To make matters worse, a hamstring injury suffered in a 120-111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on January 2 delayed his recovery even further, culminating in another season on the sidelines.
The New Orleans Pelicans suffered a lot from Zion’s absence in important games. The loss to the OKC Thunder in a playoff tournament highlighted the challenges faced without their best player. Williamson’s injuries affected him not only physically, but also emotionally. Even after recovering, the athlete said he wasn’t psychologically ready to compete again.
Given these conditions, it’s reasonable that fans took the video hinting at Zion’s retirement seriously. However, it turned out that the video was nothing more than clickbait, with the title and thumbnail deliberately designed to attract visitors. The video delved into commercial rumors involving Zion and possible landing destinations, misinforming fans in the process.
Williamson, had an excellent performance on the court before his unlucky run of injuries. In 114 career games, he averaged 25.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game, with a shooting efficiency of 60.5%. With Zion’s presence, the New Orleans Pelicans climbed to the top of the Western Conference standings. In fact, before his hamstring injury in January, they had a record of 23-13. However, without Zion, they finished in eighth place.