Zion Williamson will make personal history against the Warriors
The New Orleans Pelicans will take on the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, and will mark numerous special occasions for franchise players.
First of all, guard Dejounte Murray will be waiting a long time to return to the basketball court after missing a total of 13 months due to a torn right Achilles tendon suffered in January 2025.
Murray will play and be on a minutes limit in the game, coach James Borrego said before the game.
But Tuesday night will also mark a turning point moving forward Zion Williamson. The former number one pick from Duke has had a string of injuries since entering the league in 2019, all of which hoping he finally turned around angle this season.
Tuesday night will mark his 26th consecutive start Williamson madewhich is a new career high for the Pelicans forward.
Zion Williamson is slated to make his 26th straight start tonight, which will be the longest streak of his career.
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) February 24, 2026
Zion Williamson has played in 42 of the Pelicans’ 58 games so far this season, averaging 21.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1 steal while shooting 58.7 percent from the field.
Friday’s game against the Bucks was the 41st of the season for Zion Williamson, who initiated a contractual guarantee of $16.8 million for the 2026-27 season, according to Spotrak’s Keith Smith.
If Williamson is able to play eight more games after tonight and reach 51, his guaranteed contract would increase to $25.3 million. He would then reach $33.7 million if he played 61 games.
Williamson can fully guarantee the $42.2 million he is owed for the 2026-27 season if he plays 61 games and meets certain weight requirements.
The Pelicans have 24 games left until Tuesday, meaning Williamson would have to play in 19 of the final 24 games to have a chance to fully guarantee a deal for next season
In his seven seasons in the NBA, Zion Williamson played 24 games in his rookie season, 61 in his second season, did not play at all in 2021-22, 29 games in his third season, 70 games in his fourth season and 30 games in his fifth season.
2026-02-24 23:57:00
