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Pelicans had 30 nationally televised games during Zion Williamson’s 2019-20 rookie season, now have only 12 for 2023-24

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James Foglio
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James Foglio Sports Editor

James is a Basketball Insiders contributor. He earned his bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University. James enjoys watching sports and helping gamblers win money.

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Updated18 Aug 2023

New Orleans Pelicans had 30 nationally televised games during Zion Williamsons 2019-20 rookie season, now have only 12 for 2023-24

The New Orleans Pelicans received 30 nationally televised games during Zion Williamson’s 2019-20 rookie season, but now the Western Conference contender has only 12 for the 2023-24 season.

Injuries have wrecked havoc on Williamson’s NBA career. Knee, foot, and hamstring injuries limited him to 114 games in his first four seasons. He’s missed 194 regular-season games and all nine of New Orleans’ postseason contests.

Is it not because of injuries? The Pelicans forward has received negative attention this offseason for a few reasons. In June, Williamson announced his girlfriend’s pregnancy in a baby shower YouTube video. The couple are expecting their daughter in November.


Williamson’s announcement then led adult film star Moriah Mills to claim on X, formerly known as Twitter, that she had a recent affair with Williamson. Not to mention, Mills had received a tattoo of Williamson’s first name on her face and decided to go public with images across social media.

Additionally, the 6-foot-6 forward is facing another lawsuit. Williamson, his mother and stepfather are being sued for $1.9 million by Ankr PBC, a California-based tech company, in the U.S. District Court in New Orleans for failing to pay back $1.8 million of a $2 million loan.

Notwithstanding his injuries, the Pelicans star is still criticized off the court.

New Orleans Pelicans had 30 nationally televised games during Zion Williamson’s 2019-20 rookie season, now have only 12 for the 2023-24 season; affair, lawsuit, and injuries to blame?

Lee Anderson, Williamson’s stepfather, served as Zion’s business manager and demanded $150,000 up-front payment, according to the lawsuit. The loan from Ankr was supposed to be paid back by August 2022. A series of extensions were requested.

Furthermore, Ankr reached out to Williamson to establish a potential marketing relationship with the NBA star so that he would serve as the company’s spokesperson. However, the family needed a bridge loan for investment obligations.

Of course, a bridge loan is a short-term loan lent by a bank to cover an interval between two transactions. If Ankr had not made the loan, they were told Zion could not be their spokesperson.


“Ankr reasonably believed that Anderson possessed the authority to negotiate business arrangements for Williamson,” the lawsuit stated.

“Anderson represented that the loan was urgently needed, as the family had taken on expensive investments including the purchase of certain real estate in New Orleans and could not meet their obligations due to the temporary suspension of payments from Williamson’s sponsorship deals resulting from an injury.”

Personal life aside, the NBA craves healthy, marketable superstars. Zion Williamson has not yet played a full 82-game season. In 61 starts with the Pelicans in the 2020-21 season, the forward averaged career highs of 27 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 33.2 minutes per game.

Equally important, Williamson signed a five-year, $197.23 million contract extension with the New Orleans Pelicans last July. He is slated to make $42.16 million in 2026-27 and $44.88 million in 2027-28.

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