NBA Rumors: Pelicans Hiding Truth About Zion Williamson

The recent news about Zion Williamson may not be the whole truth.

While out of action, Williamson incurred a foot injury and will continue his rehab away from the New Orleans Pelicans.

The All-Star forward is now in Portland, Oregon as he attempts to recover from a fractured foot, the team announced on Wednesday, January 19 per ESPN.

Earlier reports stated that Williamson and the Pelicans have both agreed to have the said rehabilitation with the team supervising the entire process.

However, this has not been the case as it turns out that the 21-year-old has been working with a coach who is not part of the Pelicans all along.

Moreover, no team official accompanied Williamson during the rehab, according to Christian Clark of Nola.com.

“No Pelicans officials accompanied Williamson on the trip, and the 21-year-old star has been working with Jasper Bibbs, a strength coach who in August was fired after less than two months at LSU, sources told The Times-Picayune,” Clark wrote.

To date, Williamson has missed a total of 44 games and the pelicans badly needed his presence inside the court.

Williamson had previously opened up about the “very difficult” road to recovery.

Despite the situation, the athletic scorer assured everyone that he has been doing his best to finally make his long-awaited NBA return a reality Sooner rather than later.

"As you can imagine, this has been a very difficult process for me," Williamson said in a statement. "I know there's work to be done in my recovery before I can safely return to the court, but I will continue to put in the time necessary so I can get back on the floor with my team and represent Pelicans fans and the city of New Orleans at the highest level.”

"Basketball means everything to me, and I am thankful for the Pelicans organization and everyone who has surrounded me with love and support throughout this journey--my family, friends, teammates, coaches, staff, fans, and everybody who has stood behind me and uplifted me when I needed it most," he added.

Nothing is concrete yet about the Pelicans’ target date for Williamson's return.

However, one thing certain is that the team’s stance on the matter has not changed one bit, and the plan is to have the former No. 1 overall draft pick back in the roster this season, per famed NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski.

“I'm told that the intention and the expectation remain that Zion Williamson will play this season for the Pelicans. But he's in Portland now. The team is still supervising his regimen there. But he's gotten away from town, and so he'll continue to work there," the journalist divulged.