Zion Williamson Interview from 2025 Pelicans Media Day | New Orleans Pelicans

Zion Williamson Interview from 2025 Pelicans Media Day | New Orleans Pelicans

How are you feeling going into the season? What’s kind of been the focus over the summer? Uh, I’m feeling really good going into the season. Um, the focus in this this past summer was, you know, build a relationship with Joe and Troy and just stay locked in on the game. watch a lot of film and I’ve been working with Teespoon a lot this past summer. Kind of building that relationship. What’s that been like? Just kind of getting to know him and see what his vision is. I like Joe. What what you see is what you get. uh he’s going to hold me accountable and you know as he holds me accountable he’s going to give me a lot of responsibilities as well which I’m excited for and I look forward to. Uh and you know I know I know he’s going to hold me to a really high standard and if I slip up or anything I know he’s going to be right there to make sure I’m get right back on path. How much do you kind of embrace that responsibility? Like be a chance to to be that be all that? I love it. I can’t even lie to you. I love it. Uh like I said, me, Joe, Troy, we uh we sat down and, you know, we had some man-to-man conversations. Um you know, they they embraced me. Uh and I just told them, “No, I’m not going to let y’all down. You know, if they believe in me that much, it was It helped a lot. It helped a lot that they really believed in me. Like I said, man-to-man conversations, they’re going to hold me accountable, but with that accountability, they’re giving me a lot of responsibilities, and I’m I’m here for it. I know you’re like a student of the game and, you know, a historian of the game, I guess. What uh how much does it help just knowing Jos and his his resume? Uh, I’ve had some moments where I was, you know, I’d be sitting with him and I’m like, man, this is Joe Dumar. Like, this dude was an NBA champion, finals MVP, and stuff like that. I’m like, this dude was a part of the bad boys. And I have to lock back in conversation like, okay, like, let me see, let me see what he’s saying. Uh, but it’s uh it’s dope uh because I know he sees the game uh in a way in how I was trained in the game. Like how I was trained was kind of their era of basketball. So I know we kind of see the game in similar ways a lot. So Joe said that he talked to you about the difference between talent and greatness. What does that mean to you? talent uh I is more of a natural thing like you can look at somebody and go, “Okay, they’re really talented.” Greatness is every day. Greatness is when you don’t want to do it, when you want to do it. If you’re facing crazy adversity, good, bad, no matter what’s going on, greatness, you do it every day. You show up every day and you make it happen every day. Oh, there’s been a lot of changes in the organization since you got here, including head coach the first few years, but this is your fifth year now working with Willie. How big is that continuity and that familiarity with your head coach? Uh, it helps. It definitely helps a lot. Uh, you know, five years is a long time. You know, me and Coach Green, we’ve had a lot of great conversations. me and him have definitely like locked in on and off the court and you know he he can talk to me. He can talk to me and I can talk to him. Uh we have that relationship to where you know if he sees something and maybe I see something else that I can be vocal on it and you know vice versa. You mentioned giving you a lot of responsibilities and that’s something you want. What do you kind of envision those responsibilities being? whatever they needed to be, whatever the team needed to be, whatever my team needs, that’s that’s what I’ll do. When you u mentioned the importance of them believing in you, would could you reflect a little bit on what it is about the last six years that made you wonder or need to hear that they believed in you? Uh, the past is going to stay in the past and I’m only looking forward to the future. That’s all I have to say on that. You’ve had Zion, you’ve had some you’ve played with some veterans and some really great players. I mean, Brandon Ingram is not here anymore. CJ was uh obviously uh, you know, call it an adult in the room or super veteran, Mr. President, whatever. Uh, a guy who could really Don’t gas that. You know what I’m saying? Do you with those guys with those guys not here and you have these two new rookies and guys like Trey who are obviously coming along. Do you feel any pressure to be more of that vocal leader to rally the troops when you guys are down uh to not just do it with your ball with your play but also with on the on the sideline? Uh not at all. I don’t feel any pressure uh you know to take on that role. And I have to thank the guys you name, you know, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCullum, Larry Nance, and just other vets that I had as I’ve been on my NBA journey, you know, and especially CJ. I got to give CJ a big shout on that, you know. CJ really put me on game to a lot of things, you know, watching how he carried himself, how he moved when he spoke and stuff like that. Uh, he really put me on game to a lot of things. So, I feel like there’s going to be no pressure on making that transition. to that point. Um, y’all have added some veterans uh this summer like P, like Looney who have championship experience. Like, how much do you feel like adding some of that veteran presence can help this team this year? It helps a lot. I mean, those dudes want a championship. That’s what we all strive for. So, they not only won the championship, but they went through the journey. They went through the playoffs. they they felt the energy and they they lived it. Uh so that type of experience uh you just can’t get anywhere. Trey mentioned that uh a lot of rookies coming in, they’re kind of quiet. They’re kind of feeling things out before they are vocal, but he mentioned that with the two uh lottery picks, they aren’t Oh. Yeah. I’m about to say you ain’t talking about our rookies. What’s your what’s been your impression of them, you know, either on or off the court so far? Man, I like those dudes, man. They’re uh they each got their own personality. Uh and they’re not they’re not quiet. They’re vocal, but they’re not they’re not an arrogant vocal. They’re want to learn. They want to work. And I can’t wait for the world to really, you know, get introduced to them like as a Pelican. you mentioned um the the two the two guys that have played in Golden State that won championships as far as their experience and maybe some of the intangibles. Um but on the court, what do you look forward to about playing with, you know, Jordan Pool and Kavana? Uh I’ll start with Lon. Uh iron man kind of guy. uh you know he how he gets rebounds is not just luck or something like he you can tell he strategically plans everything out defensively and offensively and he’s one of those guys that I’m definitely going to look to a lot whenever I’m looking for those small things to get the edge over somebody uh especially with footwork. Uh, I think P kind of speaks for himself. Like I think our chemistry, especially in transition, want and wanting to play fast. I I think we’re going to have like a lot of exciting moments and that’s not even including Trey Murphy in that. Z, there’s not a lot of flattering talk by experts, by people that have watched with how this team’s been built by Joe and Troy over this summer. And for instance, Trey said that he’s keeping a whole photo album dedicated to all the bad comments on his phone. So, how are you viewing all that’s being said about this team? And how do you feel about the composition of this team? I love the composition of this team. Uh there was a time where I felt like Trey where I kept tabs on it, kept notes on it. Uh but no, that’s uh in the past for me. how I feel on it now. However, whatever you said at that certain time, when the time comes when we are in a certain position, you just got to stay over there. There’s no coming over here. Don’t want validation. You you don’t even have to waste your time and say, “Oh, them them guys really did it. I I don’t care. Just you just got to stay over there.” Bad boys. That’s a bad boy mentality. You know that, right? That’s that’s what we’re talking about here. Uh it can be or not. Don’t really care. Just got to stay over there. Seeing the jump last year, how much are you kind of looking forward to stepping into that role full time this year? Uh I’m excited. I’m excited. Uh cuz I’ve seen him. I’ve seen the work he’s put in. I’ve seen the jumps he’s made. And this is going to be a really big year for Trey. What have the scrimmages been like so far? All I know that Joe talked about how you guys have been getting after it last couple weeks in the gym. What have you seen? Uh you can tell with the energy uh that Joe has brought in the building that you’re going to have to get after it. Nobody’s nobody’s going for none of that soft stuff. You going to have to get after it. And as you said, uh kind of that bad boy mentality that we not out here about to be crying to the refs or anything. You just just do it. You just literally got to do it. Uh do you have any personal goals that you written down or just, you know, what you want to get accomplished? Uh yeah, I have some goals. Uh but those I those I keep to myself. So when that time does come, I know how to celebrate it. A couple players say about, you know, what kind of great shape you were in and he appreciate your body. Do you do anything different this year than in the past? Uh, I gota I got to give that praise to Daniel B, uh, trainer with the Ps. Last year while I was rehabbing my hamstring, me and him sat down and we had a conversation. And you, he was just like, “Z, we need to figure this out.” Like, when you come back from rehab, we want you to be better than before it happened, XYZ. What are some things you you like to do? How can we make the workouts in a way to where you’re having fun and you’re really enjoying it? Boom, boom, boom. And we came up with a plan. from boxing to working out on the football field a lot to just different random workouts. Uh, and during that time frame last year, I really felt a a shift in my body to where I would look at him and go, “Dude, it feels good to feel good. I haven’t felt like this since college, high school, just where I can walk in the gym and I’m like, it just I feel good.” You spent a lot of time, you spent a lot of time working, you mentioned this summer. Um, one, what was it like just like getting back together, working with her, and two, uh, what areas of your game did you guys focus on? Um, that’s my big sister, so it was one, it was an honor working with her and still working with her just cuz she’s a Hall of Famer. like that’s my big sister, but I know who she is in the basketball world. And we put a lot of emphasis on, you know, working in tight spaces. Uh cuz usually when I’m attacking the basket or something, the lane’s clogged and what reads to make, what shots to take, how to make the game easier on myself. We always ask some music questions to you. So, what are you listening to this summer getting ready for the season, man? Come on, y’all. Know I got Jay, know I got Big, and I’ve been throwing in some some different mixes. Uh, Little Herb, G Herbo, uh, ETSG, Young Boy, uh, Larry Jones. I’ve had I feel like I’ve had a a variety. I definitely feel like I’ve had a variety. When Joe says he wants you to be a guy to speak for the team when the when things aren’t going too well, how do you process that or how did you take that? That’s what come with it. If I’m if I’m going to be the leader, that’s what come with it. So, it was pretty easy to process. You talked about him back. You talked about um you seeing the game the same way as Joe training as how he played as well with his presence around. Have you tapped into that a little more lately? Uh yes, man. I’ve I’ve tapped I’ve definitely tapped in but uh you got to pick and choose. You got to pick and choose with Joe. Uh you can you can tell when he’s in that zone whereas he’s in the gym, but I don’t think I don’t think you should approach him right now. Uh, but I will say whenever you have any questions about basketball, stuff like that, he’s always more more than willing and more than excited to share his experience with you. You talk about uh to to hold you accountable, to push you in certain situations. Do you think that’s something that you enjoy that you kind of want from people in those positions to really push you hard to ask a lot of you? I do. I I think that’s just something internally with me. Uh, I feel like I naturally respond better that way. Uh, you know, it helps keep me sharp. Thanks,

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson addressed the media at 2025-26 Pelicans Media Day on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.
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