For fans looking forward to seeing Pelicans star Zion Williamson this season, we have some bad news.
The New Orleans Pelicans have suspended Zion Williamson for tonight’s matchup against the Sixers, the team announced on Friday afternoon.
The New Orleans Pelicans have suspended Zion Williamson for one game for a violation of team policies.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 10, 2025
ESPN’s Shams Charania later explained that Williamson’s suspension stemmed from his tardiness for the team’s flight to Philadelphia on Thursday. Chris Haynes has followed up that on that, reporting that it was multiple practices Williamson was late to as well as Thursday’s flight.
The Pelicans might be the only team who have had a more miserable season than our Philadelphia 76ers. The team has been ravaged by injuries, with lengthy absences to key players like Dejounte Murray, Williamson, Brandon Ingram, Trey Murphy III, and now Herbert Jones. Williamson has been out pretty much the entire season, making his season debut just a few nights ago.
Williamson will serve his suspension for this game, joining Murphy, Jones and Ingram on the sidelines.
From a fan perspective, this development sucks and there’s no way around it. The Pelicans only come to Philly once per year in the regular season, and that number is even less for Williamson who has missed the majority of games in his career. News coming that fans will miss out on seeing him play is brutal just a few hours ahead of their matchup.
On the flip side, the Pelicans truly only have their backcourt of CJ McCollum and Murray (who has been upgraded to available) to rally around for tonight’s game. It’s a good opportunity for the Sixers to pick up a desperately needed W before the schedule toughens up in the near future.
The Sixers will also be shorthanded, with Joel Embiid, Andre Drummond, Kyle Lowry, KJ Martin and Jared McCain on the sidelines. Can the Sixers capitalize on this short-notice development ahead of their matchup? We’re about to find out.