NEW ORLEANS — Pelicans star Zion Williamson spoke for the second time Tuesday since injuring his hamstring in January.
Williamson says the mental aspect of trusting the strength in his hamstring is holding him back from returning.
He says he will be ready to play “when I feel like Zion again.”
"S*** sucks. I don't know how else to say. It just sucks. I love this game. I say it over and over. For those people that think I just want to sit on the sidelines just to sit over there, I don't know why people think that. But It sucks. I just want to be playing basketball for real," Williamson said.
Williamson also said he learned from being out last season. "Just knowing that there's a return. Knowing that I will come back and play the game I love," Williamson said. "Knowing that it's not the end of the world."
Prior to the injury, he had a strong start to the 2022-2023 season, averaging 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per game. The 2023 All-Star has only played in 29 games this season.
The Pelicans are set to take on the Thunder in the NBA Play-In Tournament at 9:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The winner of that game will have to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday.
If the Pelicans win two games, they advance to the playoffs. Lose either game, and they are out.
Williamson has been ruled out for Wednesday's game due to his injury.
"I understand the magnitude of these games coming up, and I don't want to be out there hesitating or doing something that may affect my team in a bad way," Williamson said.
Last Thursday, the Pelicans announced that Williamson would "continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen."
Williamson said, "It's a collective decision" with the Pelicans organization on when he will return.
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