Kendrick Perkins Calls Zion Williamson A "Culture Killer" In New Orleans

The New Orleans Pelicans have been largely unproductive for years, and the organization appears to be scrambling for ways to win consistently. For ESPN’s Kendrick Perkins, the origin of the Pelicans’ current woes is crystal clear.

Appearing on his “Road Trippin’ Show” podcast, Perkins pinned the blame on Zion Williamson, the much-hyped star forward who was selected first overall by New Orleans in the 2019 NBA Draft. According to Perkins, the Pelicans’ recent decision to fire their head coach cannot undo the damage supposedly inflicted by Williamson.

“This is less about Willie Green being fired and more about how Zion Williamson is a culture killer,” Perkins said on the podcast. “AD, Jrue Holiday, and Monty Williams, they had some culture there. But Zion has completely f**ked this organization since they drafted him.”

The names that Perkins brought up were from a bygone era of Pelicans basketball: generational star Anthony Davis, defensive ace Jrue Holiday, and head coach Monty Williams. During their time together in New Orleans, Davis and Holiday tasted playoff action on two separate occasions, including a second-round appearance in 2018. Meanwhile, in his five-year stint as the Pelicans head coach, Williams made it to the postseason three times.

Williamson, meanwhile, has played in just one playoff series for the Pelicans since being drafted six years ago. Perkins went on to explain that Williamson’s availability is exactly what has messed up the Pelicans’ trajectory.

“Real talk, you can’t depend on him,” Perkins asserted. “You don’t know what’s going on. There’s so many things you’ve got to do; he has to clean up certain areas.”

For years, fans and pundits alike have highlighted Williamson’s conditioning as a major area for improvement. The former Duke star’s physical shape has been called into question as Williamson sustained one major injury after another. His absence in prolonged stretches (and, in the case of the 2021–22 campaign, the entire season) has left the Pelicans in a basketball limbo that is neither a rebuilding phase nor a lead-up to genuine contention.

Perkins went on to ask a question that the Pelicans organization has perhaps been asking itself: “What are you gonna do with him?”

With the Pelicans still languishing at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, it may just be a matter of time before they take serious action on Perkins’ accused “culture killer.”