A lawsuit obtained by the Daily Mail has revealed some deeply disturbing allegations leveled against one of the more talented young players in the NBA today, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson. A Jane Doe is accusing him of physical abuse and rape, and the unidentified woman says she used to be Williamson’s girlfriend.

Williamson is facing a pair of rape allegations and also being accused of a pattern of “abusive, controlling, and threatening behavior” toward the plaintiff. Williamson and the alleged victim were romantically involved for a while, according to the lawsuit filing.

According to the lawsuit, they first began dating in 2018, back when Williamson was playing college basketball at Duke University and was one of the biggest stars in the nation. They were allegedly together all the way up until June of 2023, when he was well into his NBA career and had already established himself as a premier player at the highest level.

Per the plaintiff, the abuse she suffered at the hands of Williamson came in various forms, as it was “sexual, physical, emotional and financial in nature.” Regarding the physical abuse, she reports that in some cases, Williamson would choke or smother her, causing her to fear for her life. She also reports that he threatened the lives of her and her family members.

Williamson is also accused of kidnapping her by locking her in a car and transporting her against her will. He’s said to have slammed a car door on her head during an attempted escape in one instance.

Williamson allegedly moved to Beverly Hills, Calif. in late 2020 to train at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic was ravaging the world, and the plaintiff reports that she was raped by Williamson twice after he made the move.

The lawsuit details those two incidents and also indicates that Williamson restricted the plaintiff’s access to her electronics afterward to prevent her from taking action. The plaintiff reports that these were not isolated incidents and that they were part of a pattern of abuse, rape and assault.

For as well as Williamson has played at the NBA level when healthy, he’s had a hard time staying on the court ever since he was drafted by the Pelicans with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. After all, Williamson has logged six years in the NBA now, yet he’s suited up in just 214 combined regular-season contests.

In addition, he didn’t play in even half of the Pelicans’ 82 games in the 2024-25 regular season, as he was limited to just 30 contests played for a New Orleans squad that was one of the worst teams in the league.

Now, he’s involved in a situation that is far more serious than basketball.