After NBA player Zion Williams was accused of rape, the New Orleans Pelicans star denied the woman's allegations by claiming they were “friends with benefits.”
TMZ reported the latest legal documents in the case. Williamson claimed that the nature of his relationship with the woman, who is being referred to as Jane Doe, was consensual. He called the claims of domestic violence “nonsensical,” and he wants the case to be dismissed.
He alleged that they never lived together and that their interactions were “pleasant and consensual.” Williamson claimed that the woman tried to initiate sex while he was not available or out of town.
According to the NBA star, their relationship was over by May 2023. Her claims are “all barred by the applicable statutes of limitations.”
Williamson said that California laws that cover sexual battery, domestic violence, and stalking don't apply to the alleged interactions that took place in North Carolina, Texas, and Louisiana. He says that no such conduct happened in any state, including those and California.
The rape allegations against Zion Williamson
TMZ first reported the woman's allegations, which arose in May 2025. The woman claimed to be one of his ex-girlfriends and that he “raped,” “kidnapped,” and “terrorized” her.
She claimed that he raped and assaulted her in Southern California on Sep. 23, 2020, at his house in Beverly Hills. The woman claimed he raped her again on Oct. 10, 2020. He even took her phone and laptop, preventing her from getting medical care.
Williamson is heading into his seventh season in the NBA with the Pelicans. He was selected with the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Duke. He made two NBA All-Star teams and the All-Rookie First Team in 2020.