Zion Williamson (born July 6, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association’s New Orleans Pelicans (NBA). He plays the position of power forward.
Zion Williamson’s injuries during NBA career
Injury: Hamstring
Status: Expected to be out until at least April. 30
UPDATE (Apr. 07):
Williamson is still not sure when he will be back from his hamstring injury.
Williamson hasn’t been able to play since Jan. 4, when he hurt his hamstring. He’s been working more and more, but it doesn’t look like he’ll be able to play again any time soon.
David Griffin, the president of basketball operations for the Pelicans, said at a press conference on Thursday, “After further evaluation, it has been decided that [Williamson] will continue his rehabilitation and conditioning program.” “We’ll keep an eye on how he’s doing and let you know if anything changes.” Williamson probably won’t be able to play in New Orleans’s last two regular-season games, but he might be able to play at some point in the playoffs.
UPDATE (Mar. 23):
Williamson’s hamstring injury has healed enough for him to return to the court. He will be checked again in two weeks.
Williamson seems to have made some progress in his recovery, but the star big man will still miss the rest of the regular season.
Depending on how the re-evaluation goes in two weeks, Williamson might be able to play at the end of the regular season or early in the playoffs if the Pelicans make it, but he would probably be very limited after missing so much time.
UPDATE (Mar. 11):
The Pelicans announced on Wednesday that Williamson is making progress with his strained right hamstring, but that he will be re-evaluated in two weeks.
While the most recent report from New Orleans also indicated that Williamson was making good progress, and an MRI reportedly showed improved healing, the team is still unwilling to commit to a precise target date for the big man to resume playing.
Williamson will be re-evaluated in two weeks, and even if he is given the green light to return to on-court activity, he won’t be at full strength until April at the earliest. Williamson didn’t play again until Jan. 2 and has only played in 29 games this year.
UPDATE (Mar. 01):
Williamson’s right hamstring strain is getting better, and he will get an MRI next week.
Williamson hasn’t played since January 2, and on February 12, he hurt himself. The latest news from the Pelicans is good, and after his MRI, we should have a better idea of when he will be ready to play again. In the meantime, CJ McCollum and Brandon Ingram will play more, and Josh Richardson will still be a big part of the team in his new role.
UPDATE (Feb. 27):
The New Orleans Times-Christian Picayune’s Clark quotes David Griffin, the Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations, as saying that Williamson has hurt his right hamstring even more and will be out for a few more weeks.
Williamson hurt himself on January 2 and won’t be able to play again until at least the end of February and probably the first half of March, if not longer.
UPDATE (Feb. 10):
According to Andrew Lopez of ESPN.com, Pelicans head coach Willie Green confirmed on Tuesday that Williamson (hamstring) would miss the team’s final three games before the All-Star Game and would be re-evaluated at the All-Star break.
That’s 22 games Williamson hasn’t played in a row. Since entering the NBA in 2015, Williamson has been selected first overall twice, but he has only played in 114 games due to injuries.
After the festivities surrounding the All-Star Game, we should receive another update on his progress toward a return to play.
UPDATE (Feb. 02):
Williamson’s (hamstring) status will be reassessed in next week.
Williamson’s strained right hamstring had shown improvement during this week’s reevaluation, per the Pelicans. Even with this improvement, the Pelicans are giving Williamson two more weeks to focus on building up his hamstring strength and increasing his range of motion before making a decision about his future.
It is suggested that other players take Williamson’s starting spot in the starting lineup. These include Naji Marshall (toe) and Jaxson Hayes. Williamson could return as soon as the second week of February, depending on the results of his upcoming reevaluation, though it wouldn’t be surprising if the Pelicans decided to keep him out until after the All-Star break.
UPDATE (Jan. 25):
After two weeks, Williamson’s hamstring injury will be reassessed.
According to reports, Williamson’s follow-up evaluation from this week revealed he needs another one in two weeks. Williamson’s new timeline suggests he could return as early as the second week of February, despite his next evaluation not being scheduled until later in the month.
