New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson admitted that his late-game 360-degree dunk in their blowout win against the Phoenix Suns was “out of character,” but for him, he needed to do it.
Speaking to reporters after their 128-117 win, Williamson noted that he wanted to make a statement after Chris Paul and co. sent his teammates home in the first round of the 2021-22 playoffs. He added that had it been the Suns who did what many deem as a disrespectful gesture, he wouldn't have a problem with it.
“That was a little out of character for me. But you gotta understand it, maybe you won’t. They sent my teammates home last year. … but that was out of character for me. If they did the same thing, I wouldn’t have a problem with it,” Williamson shared, per Andrew Lopez of ESPN.
To recall, Zion Williamson's dunk in the closing seconds of the game that was out of reach upset the Suns. After all, in such situations, it's an unwritten rule to let the clock expire instead of scoring as a respect to opponents.
However, Williamson didn't only break the rule but also showed major disrespect–at least that's how the Suns and their fanbase see it–with the way he threw down the ball. It then led to an intense bench-clearing scene, which fortunately didn't escalate further.
The Pelicans play the Suns again on Sunday, and sure enough, Phoenix will look to get back at New Orleans for what Zion did. As for the Pels, they will certainly need to play like they did Friday to make sure their opponents don't get what they want.
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