Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall pick of the New Orleans Pelicans in this year’s NBA draft, will not participate in the remainder of the Las Vegas Summer League after suffering a bruised left knee in his debut, the team said Saturday.
Williamson didn’t play in the second half of Friday’s game against the New York Knicks because of a knee-to-knee hit, and Pelicans executive vice president David Griffin said Saturday that he would be shut down.
“Zion will move forward from this incident without issue,” Griffin said in a statement. “However, in an abundance of caution, we have made the determination that he will not appear in game action for the remainder of the NBA summer league. He will continue to take part in training and conditioning with our performance team.”
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Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that the team was being extra cautious with Williamson as he works to get into game shape.
Williamson took the floor as a pro for the first time Friday night, scoring 11 points in nine first-half minutes that included some thunderous dunks against the Knicks and fellow former Duke star RJ Barrett.
The game was suspended in the fourth quarter after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake hit near Ridgecrest, California, around 200 miles from Las Vegas.
Las Vegas Summer League games resumed Saturday after the Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion were both deemed “safe to open” by structural engineers, the NBA said Saturday.
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