Pelicans' Zion Williamson Donates $250K to Jefferson Parish Schools for Uniforms
New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson contributed a quarter-million dollars this week to aid local children with expenses related to attending new schools.
According to ESPN's Andrew Lopez, the Zion Williamson Foundation donated $250,000 to students in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, as part of their Summer Bridge program:
The money will go toward helping students purchase school uniforms needed after consolidations necessitated them changing schools.
Williamson, 22, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft out of Duke, and he has flashed immense potential since then despite a constant battle with injuries.
In four years since getting drafted, Williamson has appeared in only 114 regular-season games. He missed all but 24 games as a rookie, missed the entire 2021-22 season with a foot injury and missed all but 29 games this season in large part because of a hamstring ailment.
Williamson played in a career-high 61 games in 2020-21, and he parlayed that into averages of 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game, as well as his first All-Star selection.
This season, Zion was named an All-Star for the second time despite playing in only 29 games, as he averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per contest.
Despite the injury concerns, New Orleans signed Williamson to a five-year, $194.3 million contract extension last year, tying him to the Pels until 2028.
Although Williamson is still trying to find his footing as a cornerstone NBA player, he is succeeding as a philanthropic force in the New Orleans area.
