How often has Zion Williamson been injured? Boy, that’s a big question to be asking.
The young superstar has captivated fans since his high school days. The truly unconventional combination of size packaged with speed and sheer athleticism has made for a really entertaining skillset that Williamson boasts. In his sophomore season, the wide-grinned forward already has been named an All-Star.
But it hasn’t been without injuries. And in some ways, that same tantalizing combination of size and speed makes him more susceptible to injuries due to the power and stress he puts on his limbs to explode and elevate.
Going back to his lone college season at Duke, Williamson’s injury narrative has been bubbling. Sometimes narratives are just that — for instance, Joel Embiid’s injury narrative is extremely overblown when you consider it objectively — but oftentimes they do have some roots in truth.
Let’s lay the facts of Williamson’s injuries thus far out, and you can decide. Is the injury-prone narrative fair or overblown?
Narrative or not, durability never hurts, and it’s one of the things Williamson should aim for.
Zion Williamson injury update
Zion Williamson missed the final six games of the New Orleans Pelicans regular season due to a fractured left ring finger, according to the team. With the Pelicans out of the playoff picture at that point, it made sense to shut him down for the remainder of the year. It’s nothing for fans to carry worry about into the offseason.
Zion Williamson thumb sprain, April 2021
A thumb sprain kept Zion Williamson out for a handful of games in 2021. He returned in a matchup against the Atlanta Hawks in which he scored 34 points on 12-of-18 shooting from the field, including one made and attempted 3-pointer.
Zion Williamson right knee soreness, August 2020
Zion Williamson missed the final two games of the Pelicans’ 2019-20 season due to right knee soreness. It’s a little suspicious that this injury came just after the Pels were eliminated from postseason contention, though. It’s quite possible he would have given it a go if there were anything to play for.
Zion Williamson torn meniscus, start of rookie year (2019-20)
Zion Williamson tore his meniscus in the 2019 preseason, and his much-anticipated delay was held off for the team’s first 44 games. In game 45, Williamson made his debut to the tune of a remarkable 4-of-4 3-point effort and 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists.
17 of those points were consecutive. Yeah, his debut was electric.
Zion Williamson knee injury, Summer League 2019
In Summer League of 2019, Zion Williamson played precisely one half of basketball before going out with injury. However, according to reports, his absence was more due to the fact that the team wanted to be cautious with their new star. The games, of course, were relatively meaningless as well.
Zion Williamson took knee to knee hit in first half. Will not return with left knee injury. It's not expected to be serious but the Pelicans are taking a cautious approach with their #1 pick during this summer league.
— Cassidy Hubbarth (@CassidyHubbarth) July 6, 2019
Zion Williamson blows through a shoe and injures knee, Duke 2019
Duke vs UNC was going to be an exciting matchup. A huge part of the reason so many would be tuning in was to see how Zion Williamson would perform in one of the most exciting rivalry games in college basketball.
30 seconds in and he was done for the night. His sheer force blew out his shoe. It was one of the most bizarre injuries in recent memory, where it was made clear to the world that Zion’s skill could actually be the thing that puts him at risk of injury.
Williamson missed three weeks due to a knee sprain that was the result of the shoe blowout.