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Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2019 draft, has dealt with injuries for the majority of his professional basketball career.
Williamson has been sidelines since Jan. 2 due to a hamstring strain. On Tuesday, the 22-year-old NBA star spoke with reporters as New Orleans continues preparations for Wednesday's play-in tournament game against Oklahoma City.
"I love this game. ... For those people who think I just want to sit on the sideline just to sit over there, I don’t know why people think that. Nah, it sucks. I just want to be playing basketball."
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Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans, out due to injury, watches from the bench during a game against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on March 28, 2023 in San Francisco, California. (Loren Elliott/Getty Images)
Williamson appeared in 29 games during the regular-season. A win over the Thunder would allow the Pelicans to advance to face the loser of Tuesday's game between the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves.
When asked how his body feels Williamson replied, "Physically I'm fine, now it's just a matter of when I feel like Zion. I know the atmosphere I'd be entering based off like the playoff experience. So now it's just a matter of when I feel like Zion."
Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans shoots during the second quarter against the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on January 02, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
Despite Williamson's declaration of health, he there is not a high level of expectation that he will be on the court with the Pelicans this postseason. He also acknowledged that he would have to overcome some mental hurdles before he returned to action.
"It's a little bit of a mental battle, because you know when I reaggravated [the injury] back in February, it was tough," Williamson said. "So when I go to make certain moves, there is that hesitation. Sometimes there's not and sometimes there is. And 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's healthiest season came in 2020-21, when he appeared in 61 games. He averaged 27 points and 7.2 rebounds per contest. He earned All-Star honors for his performance that season.
Zion Williamson #1 of the New Orleans Pelicans prepares to shoot a free throw during the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on January 2, 2023 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images)
Williamson said it will be a "collective decision" between himself and the team about when he's able to make his return to the court.
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Williamson noted that he does his best to ignore all the chatter about him.
"It's tough. I can't lie," he said. "From my perspective, I just want to play basketball. I want to hoop. I want to play the game I love. But the reality of it is whether I check my phone, whether I'm just watching TV, no matter what it is, I can't really escape what the world thinks, what people's opinions are. So, it's frustrating."
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