Zion Williamson's Teammate Breaks Silence on Suspension Drama

New Orleans Pelicans star Dejounte Murray spoke about Zion Williamson

Nov 1, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) looks on against the Indiana Pacers during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has dominated the NBA headline recently but for all of the wrong reasons. After missing a majority of the season due to injury and finally returning, Zion found himself suspended for a game after violating team policies.

Zion returned to the Pelicans to face off against the Boston Celtics, but there's still the aftermath of the suspension to deal with. Regardless of what the situation is, Zion's teammates seem to have his back, including Dejounte Murray.

Pelicans have suspended forward Zion Williamson for one game for a violation of team policies, announced today by Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin.

Zion will miss tonight’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers and will rejoin the team tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/zP5Q6GMUQr

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) January 10, 2025

When speaking with Jared Weiss of The Athletic, Murray said that he sits next to Zion on the plane and will continue to mentor him.

“I mean, I’mma keep it real with him,” Murray said. “He’s sitting next to me on the plane, we’ve got a great relationship, and I talk to him about a lot more than sports. This is our job, we’re going to come here as (mentors), but a lot of us don’t understand what all of us go through outside of this."

The biggest takeaway for Murray throughout all of the drama is that he wants Zion Williamson to be accountable. It's about learning from the moment, moving forward, and not hanging onto anything.

"So I just make sure he knows I’m here to listen," Murray said. "I support him, I want the best for him, but accountability is everything. So not to sugarcoat anything. It’s the past, it’s over. Hopefully, he grew from it and it doesn’t happen again.”

Zion Williamson is only 24 years old. There's a wealth of time for him to still continue to grow. However, he's been in the NBA for almost five seasons now, and has very little to show for it.

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