The New Orleans Pelicans are playing rather well this season as they currently hold the sixth seed in the Western Conference. However, over the years Zion Williamson has received plenty of criticism. Now, the superstar power forward fires back at his haters.

Williamson makes it known how much he loves playing basketball, according to William Guillory of The Athletic. But what's the most eye-opening is that Zion Williamson claims now is the time for the team to start winning, as winning is the best way to silence the critics.

“People don't understand how much I really love this s***. I pour everything into doing my best for the team and for the people who support me in New Orleans. I get it. You can only go off the information that's in front of you. But that's the great thing about the opportunity we have the rest of the way. We get to write our own story. You've got to win. At this point (in the season), I've got to win. That's the only way to show people.”

He makes a great point. If the Pelicans were able to make a deep run in the playoffs or even win the NBA Finals, the Zion Williamson critics would disappear. Additionally, New Orleans would go from a middle-of-the-road team to a championship-caliber franchise. Winning fixes a lot of issues and it sounds like that's what Williamson hopes to do.

Zion Williamson and the Pelicans take on the Indiana Pacers in their next game on Friday night. Look for the star power forward to put together a strong performance in an attempt to backup these comments.