Orlando (United States) (AFP)
The young star of the New Orleans Pelicans, Zion Williamson, made his return Friday in the NBA "bubble" of Disney World which he had left eight days earlier citing an urgent family medical problem, announced his club.
"My family and I have appreciated the love and respect everyone has shown us. I am excited to join my team in Orlando and look forward to returning to the floor with my teammates after quarantine." , said the rookie-phenomenon in a statement from his team.
According to the protocol set up by the NBA, Williamson, who passed daily tests, all negative income, during his stay with his family, must observe a quarantine of four days.
He is expected to return to the Pelicans squad on Tuesday evening, 48 hours before the closed-door game against Utah Jazz, which will officially reopen the season interrupted since March 11 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
An important first meeting, in the race for the play-offs in which New Orleans (10th in the West) is launched, which is however not certain to be able to play the young pivot of 20 years, who will have missed more than a week of preparation with his teammates.
Williamson, who missed out on the opening 43 matches of fiscal year 2019-20, had knee meniscus surgery after injuring himself in a pre-season friendly, went on to be brilliant for his big debut in the league (23.6 pts, 6.8 rebounds in 19 matches).
First pick in the 2019 draft, he became the first under-20 player in NBA history to score 20 or more points in 10 consecutive games.
© 2020 AFP