Jalen Rose Sounds Off on Pelicans’ “Foolish” Beef With Zion Williamson With a LeBron James Comparison

Zion Williamson, drafted as the first pick in 2019, became a key player for the New Orleans Pelicans as soon as he set foot in the NBA. In fact, his dominant performances earned him an All-Star selection in just his second season. Clearly, it appears the Pelicans have found a star in their roster. Moreover, the presence of a rising Brandon Ingram, and a leader like CJ McCollum, gives hope to the Pelicans fanbase, despite Zion sitting out injured this season.

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But what has been a setback for the Pelicans, in spite of having a strong roster, is the beef between Zion and the franchise. The Pelicans sent out a letter to season ticket holders asking them to renew their tickets for the following season. Although the letter contained the name of other Pelicans’ stars, Zion’s name was not present. This obviously raised eyebrows regarding Zion’s future with the franchise. In light of this, Jalen Rose shared his perspective on the issue.

Jalen Rose on the Zion Williamson and Pelicans Beef

Based on the aforementioned issue, Jalen Rose was questioned regarding the future of the partnership between Zion and the Pelicans. Rose started off by explaining that the situation wasn’t a good one for the Pelicans, as fans are now wondering about the future of Zion in New Orleans. Thereafter, he spoke about Zion’s strong performances despite being on a rookie deal. He then added the following.

“If I’m the Pelicans, I’m doing everything I can to try to make this work. Including putting him on the season ticket email even if he ain’t gonna be there,” said Rose.

Rose then stated that the letter sent to the ticket holders could have been done by someone in the marketing department, which was ‘foolish’, according to him.

“Sell the ticket now! And if you trade Zion, you trade Zion! That’s foolish!” exclaimed Rose.

“You ever heard of something called load management? The NBA doesn’t say that if LeBron isn’t playing, you’re getting your money back! Keep Zion on the email,” he added.

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Clearly, the decision to omit Zion from the letter did not make any sense. In fact, people come to watch games because of the big names on the court. And Zion has already shown signs of being great. So adding his name in the letter might get fans excited, especially because on paper, the Pelicans look powerful. Only time will tell the story of what happens between Zion and the Pelicans.