CJ McCollum breaks the silence on Zion Williamson's 'detached attitude'

Over the past couple of months, speculation aboutZion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans has flooded social media left and right. The optics aren’t good and it seems like they’re not on the same page right now.

The Pelicans recently sent out an email promoting next year’s season tickets and there’s no mention of Zion whatsoever. He’s been away from the team with an injury for months now, and reports state that he’s not invested in their project.

Moreover, former NBA player JJ Redick recently called him out for not even reaching out to CJ McCollum after being traded to New Orleans. Redick called him a ‘detached teammate’ and said he showed a lack of basic decorum.

CJ McCollum Urges People To Leave Zion Williamson Alone

That’s why McCollum— who started the story by claiming that he had no idea of Zion’s status or whereabouts— urged people to just let the young star be, stating that he’s going to reach out to him eventually:

(Transcript viaOleh Kosel of The Bird Writes)

“Leave the young fella alone, man. He’s trying to rehab in peace, right, and get himself ready to get back. We spoke and I’ll speak to him next week to catch up with him. He’s a very talented player and he’s going through a lot.

And you guys have put him on the spot, on the daily. I think he’s just trying to recover on his own time and really focus on his rehab. I’ve been injured before so I know what it’s like — you feel disconnected, you feel away, you wish you could be out there.

Mentally & physically, it’s tough on the body & then you’ve got to read about yourself all the time. I know it’s frustrating. I’ve got a lot of respect for him. We’re going to get along very well and continue to build our relationship. I’ll be here for him when he needs me.”

McCollum has a reputation for being a standout player and a class act as a teammate, so this doesn’t come as a surprise. As for Zion, there’s a lot of noise right now and not a single thing sounds good.