After enduring harsh criticism for his poor conditioning and constant brushes with various injuries, Zion Williamson is once again in the middle of a controversy. The New Orleans Pelicans star is in the crosshairs of Moriah Mills, an adult film star, for allegedly having an affair with her while he was in a relationship with Ahkeema. Now that the latter is bearing his child, the number one pick from the 2019 Draft is in hot water for various allegations being thrown his way by Mills. We take a look at how this scandal unfolded and how it has affected those Zion Williamson NBA rookie cards in the market.

Zion Williamson and his off-season scandal with Moriah Mills

Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans, Zion Williamson stepfather

Just a few days ago, Moriah Mills came out on social media and lashed out at Williamson for impregnating Ahkeema by saying that's a deal breaker for her. Turns out, that accusation wasn't the only one the Fans Only star let out on the Pelicans' star.

Mills would go on, guns blazing and all, to keep Williamson on the defensive. The adult film star accused the NBA star of keeping a trap phone to record their private time in bed together and showing a series of text messages from Williamson telling her to delete everything before they can actually talk. When put all together, these accusations have painted the young Pelicans forward in a bad light, especially after all the negative press he has gotten over the years for failing to live up to his potential for New Orleans.

For his part, Williamson hasn't spoken out publicly to refute or deny the allegations Mills threw at him. The closest thing that has helped the Pelicans' star is a short statement from Anderson Lee, Zion's stepfather, during an event donating money for children's uniforms. During the event, Lee came out and told the public to believe half of what they see and nothing of what they hear about his stepson.

With the Pelicans star in hot water again, it remains to be seen what the long-term effect will be on those Zion Williamson rookie cards in the market right now. One thing's for sure, though, it looks like Williamson will need one hell of a season soon to raise back his NBA card stock near the exorbitant prices they were in a few years ago.

The current state of Zion Williamson NBA rookie cards

Zion Williamson, Pelicans, NBA Cards

As it stands, the status of Williamson in the NBA card market is nowhere near where it was during the 2019-20 and 2020-21 season. Back then, prices of Zion Williamson rookie cards were so high due to being the number one pick by the New Orleans Pelicans and a boat-load of potential he presented to the team. Unfortunately, most of his time in the NBA was spent recovering from various injuries, affecting his cards in the worst way possible.

In a span of three months, Zion Williamson's PSA 10 Panini Prizm Silver rookie card has gone down from $705 to $460, according to data from Card Ladder. Even before his three-month skid, his value in the NBA card market has gone significantly down from where it was during the hobby's peak. Nevertheless, the constant absences from the court due to injuries, allegations of poor conditioning, and trysts with adult stars won't do his stock any good for the foreseeable future.

With the Denver Nuggets closing out the current season, it's going to be a couple of months more before fans will see how Williamson will fare when the new campaign starts. It might be a good idea to catch those Zion Williamson rookie cards at rock-bottom prices, and only at that value. If done correctly, they can be flipped in a few months when Williamson has a monster game or two. In any case, keep an eye out for his current scandal as it can further affect the price of the Pelicans' star down the road.