In a bit of a poker tell, Zion Williamson has always revealed a little more about himself when the conversation turns to music. The injury-plagued New Orleans Pelicans star has referenced The Notorious B.I.G., Nas, Curren$y and Jay-Z at different points throughout his career, often tying certain albums or songs to specific chapters in his life. This summer, as Williamson pushed through another demanding offseason, Jay-Z again became a big part of the soundtrack.
For years, Williamson has been one of the NBA’s more private stars. He would work, disappear from public view and return for training camp with little interest in documenting the process. Performance coach Kris Chrisp has helped change that approach, giving fans a steady look behind the curtain while working offseason.
“I’ve talked about it a lot with Kris,” began Williamson. “And I got to give a big shout-out to Kris. Not only has the work been great since I started working with him, but he’s helped with the social media side of things because if you leave it up to me, I probably wouldn’t post nothing.”
“I’ll just go through the whole summer workout and show up here,” Williamson joked. “So it definitely helps because Kris definitely puts out there what I’m doing so people can see what I have going on. It’s a way for me to show (my) face.”
As for what kicked off the playlist for most of the workouts?
ClutchPoints had to ask to continue a Media Day tradition.
“What was my song of the summer? Wow,” Williamson pondered. “That’s a tough one, that’s a tough one. Yeah, that’s a tough one. I got to give you one. I’ve got to give you one. You know me, I’m always going to start off with some Jay-Z. Allure by Jay-Z. That was my song of the summer.”
Jamahl Mosley and the rest of the locker room should be able to rap along to that as the Pelicans look to make some Western Conference noise. If not, the front office will likely have to change The Blueprint before Mardi Gras.