Zion Williamson Has Made A Ton Of Money Despite Missing More Than Half His Team’s Games

ByJoey Heldon December 2, 2025inArticles›Sports News

Zion Williamson is headed to the injured list yet again. The New Orleans Pelicans big man has a grade 2 right hip adductor strain and will be out for at least three weeks before getting reevaluated. Williamson has already sat out 11 games this season. Those missed games were a mix of a hamstring injury and resting on the second of back-to-back games.

While a little extra rest is understandable, Williamson simply hasn’t been available for the majority of the Pelicans’ games throughout his career. New Orleans drafted Williamson first overall in 2019. Since he joined the team, he’s appeared in 224 of 493 games. That means he’s made it onto the court for only 45% of games the Pelicans have played with him on the roster.

Williamson signed a five-year contract extension in July of 2022. As Darren Rovell noted , Williamson has earned $129.9 million from the Pelicans so far. If you add up the games he’s missed, he’s made about $71.4 million while in street clothes on the bench.

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Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images

The most frustrating part is that Williamson has at times looked unstoppable on the court. He’s made two All-Star teams and has averaged at least 22 points every season. Aside from this year, his true shooting percentage has been at least 60% and he’s added multiple win shares to the Pelicans each season. But as the cliche goes, “the best ability is availability,” and Williamson has simply sat out a staggering number of games.

In fact, he’s missed so many that the last three years of his contract are no longer guaranteed . That could leave the Pelicans with a potential out as they stare down a lost season. They’re currently 3-19, which is the worst record in the NBA.

Could this latest injury convince the team to part ways with Williamson and look to rebuild? New Orleans has a few added challenges here. The team doesn’t have the big market allure of some other franchises, and there was a very public breakup between the Pelicans and another No. 1 pick in Anthony Davis .

Whatever they choose, the Pelicans have a tough decision ahead of them. In the meantime, they’ll continue writing checks for their injured star.

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Anthony Davis Just Signed The Largest NBA Extension Ever, Next Season He’ll Make 70% Of Michael Jordan’s NBA Career Earnings

ByJoey Heldon August 4, 2023inArticles›Sports News

  • Anthony Davis
  • LeBron James
  • Michael Jordan
  • Rich Paul
  • Taylor Swift

Anthony Davis joined the Los Angeles Lakers before the start of the 2019-20 NBA season, the result of a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. That season was suspended for more than four months because of the Covid-19 pandemic. When play finally resumed, Davis, LeBron James , and the rest of the Lakers ultimately won the championship.

The Lakers haven’t been back to the NBA Finals since, but after a strong end to this past season, they’re feeling good about their chances. That means signing one of their stars to a massive contract extension.

Davis and the Lakers agreed to a three-year, $186 million deal to keep Davis in L.A. through the 2027-28 season. The team will now pay Davis $270 million over the next five years. Davis will average $62 million per season in the new deal, which is the largest annual contract extension the league has ever seen.

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Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Davis became eligible to sign his extension on Friday and didn’t wait long to make it happen. He opted for financial security over the potential to make even more money by taking shorter deals — something his teammate has done with great success .

Despite the franchise’s championship in 2020, things weren’t nearly as rosy the next two years. The Lakers barely made the playoffs as the No. 7 seed in the 2020-21 season, losing in six games in the first round to the Phoenix Suns. The following year was even worse, as the Lakers missed the postseason entirely. Davis sat out more than half of his team’s games due to various injuries, appearing in just 76 of a possible 154 contests.

The deal is also big news for Rich Paul . He represents both Davis and James (who’s signed through next year and then has a player option in 2024-25) and has secured close to $370 million for the two L.A. stars. The NBA has a rule that caps agent fees at 4% for veteran players, so Paul will make about $14.8 million simply from these two contracts alone. His overall client roster is extensive — his players will earn a collective $500 million this upcoming season.

The Lakers are investing in Davis for the long term. Now, his goal is to help the franchise add another championship banner (or several) to its rafters.

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