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Zion Williamson: ‘My intentions are to stay with the Pelicans my whole career’

Lottie Casas July 31, 2019

Players move around constantly in today’s NBA, bouncing from team to team.

While fans may not always like the ever-changing landscapes in the league, that’s just how it has evolved over time — which, admittedly, makes for some extremely interesting free agency periods.

Zion Williamson, however, isn’t interested in following the status quo.

If he has it his way, he’ll spend his entire career with the New Orleans Pelicans.

“Personally, I’ve always told myself I want to stay with one team,” Williamson said, via Complex. “Growing up, I loved what Kobe did and Dirk did … Some people want to stay with one team but they get traded.

“My intentions are to stay with the Pelicans my whole career, but if something happens, I wouldn’t leave because I hate the place. It’s just the business.”

Kobe Bryant and Dirk Nowitzki, two of the best to ever play in the league, both spent their entire careers with one team — Bryant with the Los Angeles Lakers for 20 seasons and Nowitzki with the Dallas Mavericks for 21 seasons, an NBA record.

Though it may seem simple, that’s not an easy task by any means. It takes a lot of factors, and a very special player, to remain in one city for an entire career. Even LeBron James, the best player in the league, has jumped around the NBA multiple times.

Yet after everything Williamson has shown the basketball world, it’s very plausible that the No. 1 overall draft pick has the pieces in place to be a one-player team. If he does, he could go down as one of the best professional athletes New Orleans has ever seen.

To be fair, however, the 19-year-old has only played in a single Summer League game. He may feel very differently after his initial contract is up and he hits free agency for the first time.

11 PHOTOSZion Williamson since being drafted by the PelicansSee GalleryZion Williamson since being drafted by the PelicansDuke’s Zion Williamson greets fans as he is introduced during the NBA basketball draft Thursday, June 20, 2019, in New York. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Zion Williamson, derecha, proveniente de la Universidad Duke, posa con el comisionado de la NBA Adam Silver tras ser elegido por los Pelicans de Nueva Orleáns en la primera ronda del draft de la liga, el jueves 20 de junio de 2019, en Nueva York. (AP Foto/Julio Cortez)New Orleans Pelicans first-round NBA draft pick Zion Williamson smiles at his introductory news conference at the team’s practice facility in Metairie, La., Friday, June 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)New Orleans Pelicans first-round draft pick Zion Williamson, second from right, poses with, left to right, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, coach Alvin Gentry, and team owner Gayle Benson, at his introductory news conference at the NBA basketball team’s practice facility in Metairie, La., Friday, June 21, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson runs upcourt during the team’s NBA summer league basketball game against the New York Knicks on Friday, July 5, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson smiles while sitting on the bench during the first half of the team’s NBA summer league basketball game against the Washington Wizards on Saturday, July 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)New Orleans Pelicans’ Zion Williamson (1) looks to pass the ball during the team’s NBA summer league basketball game against the New York Knicks on Friday, July 5, 2019, in Las Vegas. Knicks’ Allonzo Trier is at right. (AP Photo/Steve Marcus)Zion Williamson, of the Duke University men’s basketball team, accepts the award for best college athlete at the ESPY Awards on Wednesday, July 10, 2019, at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, left with back facing camera, greets NBA basketball New Orleans Pelicans draft picks Zion Williamson, left, Jaxson Hayes, center, and head coach Alvin Gentry during training camp at their NFL football training facility in Metairie, La., Friday, July 26, 2019. With them are Saints general manager Mickey Loomis, center with back to camera, and former Saints head coach Jim Mora, right. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)NBA player Zion Williamson, of the New Orleans Pelicans, arrives at the Kids’ Choice Sports Awards on Thursday, July 11, 2019, at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, Calif. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – JULY 14:Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans warms up on the court before a semifinal game of the 2019 NBA Summer League against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Thomas & Mack Center on July 14, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)Up Next

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