NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans Pelicans basketball operations chief Joe Dumars announced Monday that star forward Zion Williamson is in "impeccable condition" ahead of the 2026-27 NBA season, speaking to reporters at the team's media day.
Williamson is listed at 277 pounds, seven pounds lighter than last season. Dumars emphasized the player's personal commitment to conditioning. "At some point, you just want the player to get it," Dumars said. "When you're up and you're doing it, and you're the one leading it, then you start looking at that guy and you go, Okay, he's good. That's what I saw from him this year."
Dumars added that a player cannot complete an 82-game season without being in excellent shape. He confirmed Williamson has met the team's conditioning expectations.
Williamson, 26, played 62 games last season, the second-highest total of his career. He averaged 21 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 60 percent from the field.
The Pelicans finished last season 26-56 and missed the playoffs for the third time in four years. The franchise has not won a postseason series since the 2017-18 season.
Since being drafted in 2019, Williamson has missed 278 career games. The Pelicans' roster includes Trey Murphy III, Dejounte Murray, Herbert Jones, Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears.
