It takes a lot to slow down Zion Williamson — and he’s getting fed up with officials letting defenders physically punish him to do so.
Williamson’s frustration came after he drove down the lane during the Pelicans’ 109-97 loss to the Rockets and looked to be fouled more than once by a combination of Tari Eason and Steven Adams. Williamson wound up on the floor while the Rockets raced the other way for an easy bucket.
“So you didn’t see it, huh?” Williamson can be heard shouting towards a referee during Thursday night’s game against the Rockets. “I’m sick of that s–t bro.”
The Pelicans star has missed 38 games this season, but has been consistently in the lineup since the calendar flipped to 2025 — and he’s playing some high-level basketball despite New Orleans’ 17-46 record.
For a player of his size and whose game is so oriented on playing down low, it’s expected that he’ll take a beating from opponents on a nightly basis — but Williamson expects that beating to turn into calls.
Williamson is attempting 8.1 free throws per game, which ranks fifth across the entire NBA. But he doesn’t seem to think that’s enough.
Williamson finished with 20 points on 5-of-15 shooting from the field and 10-of-12 from the free-throw line. His 12 attempted free throws were a game-high and his 10 makes were more than the Rockets had combined as a team, as Houston shot a poor 8-of-18 from the charity stripe.
The two-time All Star has had major struggles in staying healthy over the course of his six-year career. He played just 24 games in his rookie year, missed the entirety of his third season and played just 29 games in his fourth season.
If he were to finish this season playing in every remaining game, he would end up at 44 total.
When he is healthy, Williamson has been an absolute force averaging 24.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game in his career at an impressive 58.9 percent shooting from the field.