New Orleans Pelicans Superstar Zion Makes Trip to Olympics for Jordan Brand Event

Williamson took a break from training to visit Paris, France for a Jordan Brand event.

Oct 10, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) smiles before a game against the Orlando Magic at the Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports / Matthew Hinton-USA TODAY Sports

The New Orleans Pelicans do not have any representation on the Men's Basketball Olympic team but star forward Zion Williamson still made it to Paris, France. Williamson was in 'The City of Lights' on a Jordan Brand tour that included a local event and a stop for an autograph signing at a French Foot Locker store. The Jordan Brand umbrella of athletes includes Williamson, Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, and Russell Westbrook.

Williamson posted to his Instagram pictures of the events. He was accompanied by Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo on one of the events. Zion made the trek to Paris last season as well, accompanied by Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic for a similar Jordan Brand event tour. Williamson debuted his Zion 3 Signature Shoe last year during his stop in France. There is no word if Williamson will reveal a new shoe design at this year's events.

Aside from his summer travels, Williamson has been hard at work this offseason. Coach Willie Green revealed Zion is healthy this season and has been in the gym constantly. "Zion is healthy, he is in the gym and he's working out," Green said in an interview during Summer League.

"A lot of credit goes to him. He's put the work in and we're extremely proud of the steps he's taken. We're gonna need it next season."

Health is a hot-button issue for Williamson in his career. He played a career-high 70 games last season after playing in just 29 games the previous two years. With a healthy Williamson, the Pelicans won the second most games in franchise history (49). He unfortunately hurt his hamstring in a Play-In Tournament game loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. That injury ended his season and prevented Williamson from playing in his first-ever postseason.

The Pelicans lost some substantial size this offseason, with the free agency losses of Jonas Valanciunas and Cody Zeller. New Orleans also lost Larry Nance, Jr. in a trade to the Atlanta Hawks to acquire Dejounte Murray. Williamson's availability and ability to dominate the paint will prove pivotal to any success New Orleans has this season.