Latest news with #Pelicans'
Time of India
5 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
New Orleans Pelican star Zion Williamson's r*pe accuser demands staggering amount in controversial lawsuit
Zion Williamson via Getty Images Pelicans' star Zion Williamson has become a hotbed of discussion across the globe for all the wrong reasons. He came under the scanner after being accused of sexually, emotionally, and financially exploiting and raping his ex-girlfriend Jane Doe back in 2018. According to the lawsuit filed by Doe, she has been demanding anywhere between $18 million and $50 million from the basketball star Zion Williamson in Los Angeles Superior Court. Pelicans' star Zion Williamson's accuser seeks for a whopping amount in the bombshell lawsuit The woman who brought New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons has been identified as Jane Doe. According to the lawsuit filed by Doe, she has been demanding somewhere between $18 million and $50 million in the sensational lawsuit. Based on a report by the reputed media outlet New York Post, Zion Williamson has straightaway denied all the allegations made by Jane Doe through his legal representatives. Williamson denied the allegations to The Post on Friday via his legal representatives. According to the lawsuit, Williamson dated Jane Doe from 2018 to 2023. Based on the New York Post, the lawsuit even mentioned 'During the course of their relationship, Defendant engaged in a continuing pattern of abusive, controlling, and threatening behavior toward Plaintiff. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 40대 이상이고 PC가 있으세요? 그럼 이 게임을 정말 좋아하실 거예요! Sea of Conquest 플레이하기 Undo His wrongful conduct occurred in Louisiana and continued thereafter across several states. The abuse was sexual, physical, emotional, and financial in nature.' The sensational lawsuit even mentions repeated sexual misconduct by the Pelicans' star Zion Williamson. During a recent interview with The Post, the legal representative of Jane Doe, Sam Taylor, spoke firmly about the lawsuit and even pointed out that justice should prevail with respect to the accuser, Doe. Taylor said, 'Our client is very adamant about this — it's not her desire or our desire to litigate this case in the press. It's a very serious case, as reflected in the allegations. Our client looks forward to her day in court, where she can go and explain to a jury what happened to her, the things she endured for this defendant, and getting justice.' Zion Williamson Accused in Bombshell Lawsuit Alleging Assault | DOUG GOTTLIEB SHOW Whereas during an interview with The Post, Williamson's legal counsel said the allegations made against the NBA star carry no weight and are baseless, he said- 'We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them. The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless. This is the plaintiff's third set of attorneys. This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance.' With the upcoming NBA season just around the corner, Williamson is dealing with drama off the court and has been drawing negative attention towards himself due to the allegations made by his ex-girlfriend Jane Doe. Also Read: New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson accused of r*pe and years of abuse by ex-girlfriend in Los Angeles lawsuit
USA Today
21-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Pelicans' Trey Murphy III deadpanned hilarious answer for Lakers' counter to Naz Reid's shotmaking
Pelicans' Trey Murphy III deadpanned hilarious answer for Lakers' counter to Naz Reid's shotmaking One of the biggest reasons the Minnesota Timberwolves were able to blitz the Los Angeles Lakers in a blowout Game 1 win was Naz Reid's impressive shotmaking. As an athletic reserve big man with a smooth shooting touch, Reid is one of the Timberwolves' greatest weapons when he's in rhythm. Reid's 23 points (6-of-9 from 3) in Game 1 were unsurprisingly instrumental in helping the Timberwolves separate themselves from the Lakers. As the Lakers prepare their adjustments for Tuesday night's Game 2, New Orleans star Trey Murphy III appeared on The Young Man and the Three podcast to discuss takeaways from all of the NBA's first-round Game 1s so far. When the discussion veered over to how the Lakers can better account for Reid moving forward, perhaps with some sort of advanced schematic adjustment, Murphy kept it really simple. He hilariously deadpanned that the Lakers should actually, you know, guard Reid because he was so open on many of his shots. Then, they'll probably see better success from there. Honestly, Murphy's point is pretty salient. Kudos to him for delivering it in the funniest way: While I'm certain the Lakers will enact some sort of wholesale game plan adjustment to try and slow Reid down in Game 2, none of it will matter if they don't stay consistently attached to him this time around. As Murphy said, simply being in his airspace more often on this occasion will be the biggest possible adjustment the Lakers' defense can make.
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Pelicans' Joe Dumars hire gives Saints fans cause for concern in Gayle Benson's leadership
Pelicans' Joe Dumars hire gives Saints fans cause for concern in Gayle Benson's leadership The New Orleans Pelicans' latest move should also set off an alarm for New Orleans Saints fans. The Saints and Pelicans are connected by more than the synergy of the city. They're both owned by Gayle Benson. The Pelicans fired David Griffin on Monday and hired Joe Dumars on Tuesday. It's a move Locked on Pelicans host Jake Madison labeled the hiring as 'the laziest and most uninspired move the Pelicans could have made.' The appearance of a less than thorough search also gives off the appearance of ownership being underinvested in improving the team. Mickey Loomis may be on his last leg, so the idea of the Saints being in the same predicament in the next couple of years isn't far-fetched. The Dennis Allen experiment was a massive failure that extends beyond the field. The organization feels dysfunctional and poorly ran. Changing your general manager should change these concerns. A decision essentially made 24 hours later would not instill confidence if anything changing it would actually do the opposite. When you replace your general manager, you are in need of wholesale changes. The Saints need them now, but stopped at changing head coaches. If things get worse, Loomis will be next, but where do the Saints turned to? The Pelicans likely selected Dumars well before Griffin was fired. An essentially nonexistent interview process due to a predetermined choice can easily lead to missing out on a better candidate because you weren't looking for them. There's a cliche, "How you do somethings is how you do everything." Dumars is a big name, who could be really good for the Pelicans. Time will tell on that aspect. How they got to the decision is more questionable than the decision itself. That thought process could easily transfer to the Saints in any big decisions The current moves of the Pelicans could be what the Saints are facing in the near future, and the same person will be calling the shots. If this is how Benson handles this move with the Pelicans, there's a chance she handles it the same way with the Saints. She already seems hesitant to move on from Loomis, but would Benson rush the process if the Saints do have to look for a new general manager? These are questions Saints fans should ask. In the case of the Saints, that would likely look like picking someone the organization is already familiar with. There were rumblings they wanted to do that at head coach. Familiarity has been a common principle with the Saints, and leaning on it in the case of firing Loomis would cheat the process of finding the next general manager.
New York Times
11-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Pelicans need to make a substantial change after disastrous season
David Griffin called his shot last April. In about three weeks, it'll be exactly one year since the Pelicans' executive vice president of basketball operations declared that leaning on continuity and hoping for better health were no longer good enough in New Orleans. 'I want to be really, really clear,' Griffin said. 'This is not going to be a summer of complacency. It's time to get better. … I think you'll see a real sense of urgency from all of us.' Advertisement It was a bold declaration after a 49-win season, which included Zion Williamson playing a career-high 70 games. Yet, it was the correct one. Griffin knew the Pelicans were in danger of being stuck in the middle of a competitive Western Conference that keeps getting better. The failed attempts to move Brandon Ingram in the summer and the eventual acquisition of Dejounte Murray were all attempts to invigorate a Pelicans team that needed a new look on the floor and a new feel away from it. Ultimately, it all turned out to be a failure. If 'urgency' was required after 49 wins, what should come next after the second-worst campaign in franchise history? In Griffin's words, 'It's time to get better.' But the route there needs to look much different from what it did last summer. It's time for the Pelicans to get bold. There have to be some substantial moves to shake up the foundation of this team, and there are only three moves that would meet that criteria: firing Griffin, firing head coach Willie Green or trading Williamson. Anything less would feel like New Orleans is stuck trying to revive something that's already gone. Just look across the parking lot on Airline Drive and ask the New Orleans Saints how that works out. Even if bad luck was involved, this year leaves no time for more patience with the most important people in the franchise. Things went poorly. Ingram played only 18 games before injuring his ankle and sitting out until being traded to Toronto in February. Murray broke his hand in the first game and returned a few months later, only to rupture his Achilles tendon in January. Once again, Williamson missed a significant portion of the season due to a hamstring injury, playing just 30 games before ultimately being shut down for good. Now, if the Pelicans don't win their final two games, they'll finish with the second 60-loss season in franchise history. Advertisement The Pelicans have to start preparing for the future. May's Draft Lottery could help. But whoever the Pels end up selecting in the 2025 Draft needs to step into a situation that feels stable and free of any burden that comes with recent failures. So, who should go out of Griffin, Green and Williamson? In the cases of Griffin and Green, it is not fun to consider people losing their jobs. But I also understand it's a fundamental part of this business. And, at times, abrupt changes are necessary for a team to grow. Griffin has done a lot of good during his time as the lead executive in New Orleans. Over the past five seasons, the Pelicans have been one of the best teams in the league at finding and developing young talent without using top-10 draft picks. Green gets credit for developing many of those players. Green also stabilized this group often over the last four seasons when injuries arose and led them to playoff berths in 2022 and 2024. Griffin also has made some questionable moves along the way that have damaged the team, including the Murray trade and the awkwardness surrounding Ingram's final season in New Orleans. More than that, it is fair to criticize Griffin for being reactive instead of proactive. He often hoped the culture in the locker room, created largely by oft-injured stars, would suffice. That is where Williamson enters the picture. By the end of this season, he'll have missed 199 games since Green's arrival in New Orleans before the 2021-22 season. It would be almost impossible for any coach to succeed consistently when the best player on the team has missed that much time. Wiliamson has also brought more scrutiny upon himself with some of the drama he's dealt with away from the court, including his one-game suspension earlier this season due to his late arrival for a team flight. Advertisement When Williamson is on the court looking as good as he did during the 30 games he played this season, there's no question he can be the face of a franchise and the best player on a playoff team. But is everything else that comes with Williamson worth the trouble? Can you truly trust him to be the guy everyone relies upon if the ultimate goal is to win a championship? His contract would allow the Pelicans to move on from him relatively painlessly if they made that choice. These are some of the difficult questions New Orleans has to answer this summer. As difficult as it may be, running it back with all three in their current positions cannot be the answer. There's already enough apathy within the fan base after this year. Keeping all three in place would only turn off fans more and legitimize the critics who say ownership isn't willing to make the tough decisions to put this team in the best position to win. If the goal is to reshape the foundation of this team, this would be the right time to do it: with a lottery pick coming to town and the understanding that there will be a transition period now that Ingram is gone and Murphy, once healthy, is moving up in the team's hierarchy. Any single move could foretell another. Firing Griffin and keeping Green would lead to many wondering how long it'll take the new lead executive to bring in a coach of his own, much like Griffin did after he fired Alvin Gentry one year into his New Orleans tenure. Firing Green and keeping Griffin would only lead to more questions about Griffin's credentials to lead this team into a third rebuild. And ultimately, if a rebuild is where this is headed, would it be fair to place all the baggage that comes with Williamson on any new lead executive or coach the team hopes to hire? That is the case to move on from all three, and it has some merit. It's easy for folks like me to say blow the whole thing up and start over. If I were the guy called on to make decisions in New Orleans, I probably wouldn't be bold enough to move on from Williamson after the way he played this season. Advertisement But as we've seen in recent weeks with the stunning firings in Memphis and Denver, the pressure to win — and keep winning — in the Western Conference is higher than ever. Teams are getting desperate in attempts to keep up. The last thing anyone wants in New Orleans is the feeling that this franchise isn't willing to do what it takes to keep up with everyone else fighting for relevance in the West. If the Pelicans aren't prepared to make some uncomfortable decisions this summer, they're in danger of being left behind. (Photo of Willie Green and Zion Williamson: Jerome Miron / Imagn Images)
Reuters
18-03-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Pelicans F Trey Murphy III (shoulder) out for season
March 18 - New Orleans forward Trey Murphy III is out for the season after sustaining a right shoulder injury in the Pelicans' 127-81 home loss to the Detroit Pistons on Monday. According to the team, Murphy underwent an MRI exam that confirmed a labrum tear and partial rotator cuff tear. In the first minute of the game, Detroit's Ausar Thompson stole the ball from Murphy, and the two collided as Thompson headed toward the opposite basket. Murphy went down to the floor in pain and left the contest for good. Murphy, 24, averaged 21.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists, all career highs, in 53 games (51 starts). In four NBA seasons, all with New Orleans, Murphy is averaging 13.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 251 games (140 games). When he returns next season, Murphy will start playing under a four-year, $112 million contract extension he received in October. The Pelicans, who were eliminated from playoff contention last week, endured an awful night after Murphy exited. The margin of defeat matched the largest in franchise history.
