Zion Williamson made it official in more ways than one on Wednesday: He'll be under contract with the Pelicans for the next 5 years -- and yes, he wants to be here.
The superstar put pen to paper on his 22nd birthday to finalize his massive contract extension worth up to $231 million with incentives. He called it the best birthday gift he's ever received, much better than a year ago when it was on his 21st birthday that he learned about the broken foot that cost him the entirety of his 3rd NBA season.
“For the Pelicans to come and give me this birthday gift, I’m not going to let them down," Williamson said. "I’m not going to let the city down. I’m not going to let my family down and most of all, I’m not going to let myself down.”
It's a new deal that many argued would never come amid a rift that appeared to had formed a season ago while Williamson rehabbed his foot injury away from the team. But Williamson rejoined the team late in the season as the young Pelicans made a thrilling run to the NBA playoffs and pushed the top-seeded Suns to 6 games in their first-round series. Williamson raved about the locker room, new addition CJ McCollum and the atmosphere created by first-year head coach Willie Green.
At the time Williamson said if a contract extension was offered, he "wouldn't be able to sign it fast enough." Pelicans Executive Vice President David Griffin said such a contract offer would be an easy decision. Those statements both proved true this week, and the team can now look toward continuing on its upward trajectory as some of its young stars participate in Summer League this week, including No. 8 overall pick Dyson Daniels.
“We’ve got an opportunity to run toward sustained success for a very long time," Griffin said. "We’re young, we’re talented and most importantly we are very hungry, and I think Zion would echo that sentiment as well.”
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