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New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been accused of rape, including "sexual, physical, emotional and financial" abuse. The defendant, whose name is hidden, accused Williamson of "continuing pattern of abusive, controlling and threatening behavior" during their relationship while he was at Duke University in 2018, then eventually spanning six more years into 2023.
According to the civil complaint, the defendant accuses Williamson of "violently" raping her twice in 2020, also stating that he would choke her "with such force that she reasonably feared for her life and eventually lost consciousness multiple times." The complaint also details that Williamson threatened to kill the defendant and her family on multiple occasions.
Zion was a basketball sensation during his freshman year at Duke and was claimed to be the most highly sought-after prospect in NBA history since LeBron James. The New Orleans Pelicans staff even celebrated after watching the NBA Draft Lottery results, granting them the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft - taking Williamson.
His professional career in the NBA has been nothing but a bust, missing more games than he has played while also dealing with ongoing weight problems that he seemingly didn't care to fix or acknowledge, despite the Pelicans doing everything they could, giving him every resource possible, to be court-ready. Williamson only played in 30 games this past season, marking the third time in his five-year career that he finished a season playing 30 games or fewer.
