Zion Williamson Underwent Foot Surgery, Hopeful for Oct 20 Return

New Orleans Pelicans All-Star forward Zion Williamson underwent surgery to repair a foot injury he suffered working out on his own in the early portion of the offseason.

Pelicans VP of Basketball Operations David Griffin revealed the news this morning at the team's media day.

Williamson suffered the injury while working out on his own.

"Initially, when it first happened, it sucked, but it's a part of the game," said Williamson. "I think I was overdoing it in my training. I had a huge chip on my shoulder, and I was getting after it every day...The (rehab) process has been great."

Williamson added he expects to be ready for the regular-season opener on October 20th.

Following an article released last Wednesday from Pelicans beat writer Christian Clark regarding the relationship between Williamson and Griffin.

"My relationship with Griff, again, I don’t think he can play the piano last I checked," said Williamson. "It’s all love with me and Griff. There’s not much to dive into. We’re both competitors. We both want to win....Do we disagree on some things? Yeah, but who doesn’t.”

Griffin stating he, Zion and the rest of the team are "lock, step, and key".

The piano reference was in regards to a story from a source who claimed Griffin tried to improve his relationship with Zion by playing piano for him.

As Griffin described today, he's not a pianist.

The article also suggested Williamson wasn't happy with the organization, but he was both happy and excited to be asked about it.

“How do I feel about the organization? Per me, I love it here," said Williamson. "I love the city of New Orleans. I don’t want to be anywhere else."

Williamson, the 2019 #1 overall pick in the NBA Draft, averaged 27 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists in 33.2 minutes over 61 game appearances last season.