Maybe one day the credits will finally roll on this Zion Williamson soap opera.
Someday, perhaps every story you read about the New Orleans Pelicans’ star will only be about basketball.
Unfortunately, that day hasn’t come yet.
Six years after the Pelicans drafted Williamson with the No. 1 overall pick, the headlines surrounding Williamson are more often about what he does off the court than what he does on it.
Each episode takes you on a twist that you weren’t expecting, starting with the very first one six years ago when he suffered a knee injury that delayed the start of his rookie season.
It was the first of many injuries since his arrival in New Orleans in 2019.
Then there were all the concerns about his conditioning.
There was social media drama surrounding his personal relationships.
And this season, there was a one-game suspension by the team after he was late for a team flight.
Then came Friday when yet another here-we-go-again plot twist surfaced. This one, the most serious of them all if proven to be true.
A lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles on Thursday accusing him of rape back in 2020.
Williamson’s legal team denies the allegations.
"We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness. and we unequivocally deny them," Williamson’s counsel wrote in a statement . "The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiff's third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance."
The law firm's statement also said Williamson reported extortion attempts to law enforcement and that he would also file a counter lawsuit and seek damages for what his attorneys calls a "defamatory lawsuit."
For now, these are just allegations.
The legal system will decide.
Meanwhile, new Pelicans’ executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dumars will have to decide what he wants to do with the face of the franchise.
Dumars and Williamson have appeared to be on the same page since Dumars was hired in April to replace the fired David Griffin.
Dumars and Williamson represented the Pelicans at the NBA draft lottery in Chicago in mid-May. And just last week, Williamson even posted a birthday greeting on social media for Dumars. It seemed an indication that Dumars was going to continue to be the cornerstone of the franchise.
But is this latest development the final straw for Williamson? Has he become too much of a distraction?
If Williamson wasn’t so talented, the answer to that would be an easy one.
His lack of availability plus the outside noise would make moving on from him a no-brainer. Afterall, he’s played in just 214 games – the equivalent of about 2 1/2 seasons since being drafted in 2019.
But when he does play, he’s good. REALLY good. He’s averaged 24.7 points and 6.6 rebounds in his career and dished out a career-best 5.3 assists this past season when he looked to be in the best shape of his career.
As we learned in February when the Dallas Mavericks traded Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, no NBA player is untouchable.
No, not even a box office draw like Williamson, who has the potential to be a top five player in the league.
The only thing stopping Zion is Zion is the soap opera that just won't stop.