Pelicans Blame Refs for Zion Williamson's Broken Finger

The New Orleans Pelicans knew if Zion Williamson was going to continue to get hacked, something was going to go wrong and sure enough it did. The sophomore superstar has a fractured finger and is likely going to miss the remainder of the season.

Williamson has been ruled out indefinitely, after a CT scan revealed his left ring finger was broken. He suffered the injury on Thursday night playing against the Golden State Warriors. Pelicans management and their coaching staff have been on the refs all season to do something and their chatter hasn't really gotten them anywhere. Pelicans' vice president of basketball operations David Griffin expressed his frustrations after he heard the news:

I'm really frustrated because this was avoidable. We told the NBA through every means available to us, through sending in film, through speaking to everybody in the officials' department and everybody in basketball operations, that the way they were officiating Zion was going to get him injured. Quite frankly, he's injured now because of the open season there's been on Zion Williamson in the paint. He's been absolutely mauled in the paint on a regular basis, to the point that other players have said to him, 'I'm going to keep doing this to you because they don't call it.

Play Zion Williamson fractured his left ring finger Tuesday vs Warriors. pic.twitter.com/eJOMNwfk00
— Tas Melas (@TasMelas) May 7, 2021

It was also revealed Williamson's right-hand is already injured and he's likely having offseason surgery. The Pelicans will carry on as they have only five games remaining and are battling for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference.