Zion Williamson has a heart of gold.
The New Orleans Pelicans power forward took to social media on Friday and pledged to cover the salaries of the Smoothie King Center workers for 30 days.
The NBA suspended the season on Wednesday (March 11) after Rudy Gobert of the Utah Jazz tested positive for the Coronavirus.
Related: NBA Suspends Season After Rudy Gobert Tests Positive For Coronavirus
The decision left many out of work and unsure how they would provide for their families until things get back to normal…well, our new normal.
Zion is pledging to do his part to help those who “have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I was Drafted by the Pels last June.”
The people of New Orleans have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I was Drafted by the Pels last June, and some of the most special people I have met are those who work at smoothie King Center.
These are the folks who make our games possible, creating the perfect environment for our fans and everyone involved in the organization. Unfortunately, many of them are still recovering from long term challenges created by Katrina, and now face the economic impact of the postponement of games because of the virus.
My mother has always set an example for me about being respectful for others and being grateful for what we have, and so today I am pledging to cover the salaries for all of those Smoothie King Center workers for the next 30 days.
This is a small way for me to express my support and appreciation for these wonderful people who have been so great to me and my teammates and hopefully we can all join together to relieve some of the stress and hardship caused by this national health crisis.
This is an incredibly resilient city full of some of the most resilient people, but sometimes providing a little extra assistance can make things a little easier for the community.
See his original post below:
Here’s where things got weird…
The Pelicans released a statement thanking Zion for his generosity and efforts but noted that paying the salaries of the Smoothie King Center workers may be “complicated” because the Pelicans are only tenants.
This is a prime example of making things harder than they have to be.
So annoying!
Kudos to Zion for stepping up to help – or at least trying to!
Hopefully, he will encourage others to be mindful of those in need during this trying time.
