Pelicans Announce Zion Williamson News Before Lakers Game

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ayomide Adeduyite | Last updated Nov 30, 2025 4:15 PM ET

The 2025‑26 season has been a careful balancing act for Zion Williamson as he continues to navigate a career disrupted by injuries. His 2024‑25 campaign ended prematurely due to a low‑back bone contusion that shut him down for the remainder of the year. He opened the year with a 27-point performance against the Memphis Grizzlies before a Grade‑1 left hamstring strain suffered on Nov. 4 forced him to miss eight games.

Williamson was cleared to resume on‑court activity and returned Nov. 19 against the Denver Nuggets, logging 14 points, six rebounds and five assists in 29 minutes as New Orleans lost 125‑118. Since then, he’s re‑entered the rotation, most recently playing in Sunday’s game vs. the Golden State Warriors, where scored 25 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a 104‑96 defeat.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1).Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

As New Orleans continues to weigh whether he could play on consecutive nights, given his hamstring recovery, concern has been rising over his ability to handle back‑to‑back games.

Ahead of Sunday’s game vs. the Los Angeles Lakers, the team announced that Williamson would be ruled out. He had played in the prior three games, but New Orleans is taking a precautionary approach to manage his injury.

The absence of Zion is a huge blow for a Pelicans team who have managed just one win in their last 10 outings and face a Lakers team riding a six-game winning streak. The team will also be without several other key contributors, including Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Jordan Poole, Jordan Hawkins, Karlo Matkovich, and Dejounte Murray, further testing the depth of their roster.

The New Orleans Pelicans report that Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, Jordan Poole, Jordan Hawkins, Karlo Matkovich, and Dejounte Murray

are all out tonight at Los Angeles on the second night of a road back-to-back https://t.co/HpTrAtEAbO
— Law Murray ⛲️ (@LawMurrayTheNU) November 30, 2025

With so many starters sidelined, New Orleans will need bench players and younger contributors to step up as they attempt to stay competitive against a Lakers team riding a six-game winning streak.

With Williamson sidelined, the Pelicans will likely lean more heavily on Jeremiah Fears and Saddiq Bey to provide scoring and frontcourt presence.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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