New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson wants to prove he’s a winner

Zion Williamson celebrated his 22nd birthday by signing his name to a contract with the New Orleans Pelicans that could be worth up to $231 million.

Not a bad birthday gift.

Zion brought kids from his local basketball camp on stage while he signed the deal, and reiterated his love for the city of New Orleans.

Williamson has been more visible this offseason, which is a smart move for a guy whose silence over his injury led to widespread and unfair speculation all last season.

He’s been putting in the work with his teammates and seems genuinely excited to join a team that made the playoffs last season without him.

Excitement around Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans is at an all-time high, but there are always going to be critics, and Zion knows they won’t shut up until he starts winning, which is exactly what he plans to do.

New Orleans Pelicans: Zion Williamson ready to quiet the critics

During his press conference, Zion talked about all of the negativity around his injury, and if you have spent more than a few minutes on social media, you know exactly what he is talking about.

The commentary ranged from legit questions about his health and how the Pelicans handled his injury, to the types of comments you’d expect out of a not-so-bright 12-year-old bully, which is the unfortunate nature of social media.

Zion knows the only way to quiet all of this is to start dominating on the court, which we all know he can do when he’s at full strength and that the best revenge is winning:

"“I want to prove that I’m a winner,” Williamson said. “It’s as simple as that. I want to win with coach. As well as with my teammates. The ultimate goal is to win the championship. I feel like that’s what we’re all striving for. Like Griff said, we’re hungry. Y’all saw this past year what the team did and I’m just excited to add to that.”"

The Pelicans’ Summer League schedule kicks off this weekend, which will be the first step towards making this goal a reality. I hope Zion Williamson saved the receipts (I know fans have) because there are going to be a lot of people eating their words.