The New Orleans Pelicans announced that star forward Zion Williamson will miss their opener on Wednesday against the Chicago Bulls due to illness.

Head coach Willie Green said Tuesday that Williamson's status would be a mid-game decision after illness kept him from practice.

The two-time All-Star had to overcome the Pels' loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in last year's play-in tournament with a strained left hamstring. While it's a bit of a stretch to say his injury changed the outcome of the game, New Orleans might have emerged victorious had Williamson played the final three minutes.

Los Angeles simply had no answer for the 6-foot-3 powerhouse, who finished the game with 40 points, 11 rebounds and five assists.

The hamstring injury was a microcosm of Williamson's NBA career.

The 23-year-old only made 114 appearances in his first four seasons – he missed the 2021-22 season entirely – and finally seemed to be turning things around in terms of his health. In the 2023/24 season he made 70 appearances with an average of 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 5.0 assists.

Then against the Lakers, Williamson delivered a performance that reminded fans why he was such a hype coming out of college, only for a seemingly innocuous moment in the game to sideline him.

The Pelicans eventually made the playoffs without Zion, but were defeated in the first round by the Oklahoma City Thunder. They will be hoping to be spared a similar fate in the 2024/25 season, with the off-season acquisition of Dejounte Murray proving their lofty ambitions.