New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has faced lots of criticism the past few months. He's been in the news for all the wrong reasons, ranging from being sued for rape allegations to weight issues to injury problems.
Now, he has an ally in Hall of Famer Joe Dumars. In April, Dumars was hired by the Pelicans as the president of basketball operations. One of his priorities is keeping tabs on Williamson.
"The first thing I would say about Zion is he’s an incredibly good guy," Dumars told Marc Spears of Andscape. He’s a really good person. He’s obviously immensely talented. He and I have had some incredible conversations. We are in constant contact with each other. I’ve talked to him about the responsibility of being great and the responsibility of being a leader, of being a captain, of being the best player, of being the face of a franchise. I’ve talked to him about how all of those things come with responsibility and how it’s time now at 25 years old to embrace those responsibilities."
The hope is the Pelicans can compete for championships with Williamson as their leader. Dumars was a member of the Detroit Pistons when they won consecutive titles in 1989 and 1990.
"That’s what our conversations have been," Dumars said. "It’s really just been about embracing your greatness on and off the court, very honest and upfront conversations. Not mincing any words. But he also knows it comes from a place of caring about him, helping him grow into being a real true pro."
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