NBA superstar Zion set for Australian tour

Two-time NBA All-Star Zion Williamson is set to take part in the New Orleans’ Pelicans historic Australian tour later this year.

The Pelicans will be in Melbourne in October, with games against Melbourne United and South East Melbourne Phoenix, as well as conducting community events and a fan night.

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“The one thing that we will do that will be unprecedented is we’re going to be here prior to the games for a good portion of our camp and our full roster will be in attendance,” Pelicans Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations David Griffin said on Tuesday.

“These games will be really meaningful for us, with every player on our roster.

“We’ll have our full roster here; Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, CJ McCollum.”

Griffin said the Pelicans weren’t just here to play games, as they set out to make a huge mark on Australian basketball fans and the local basketball scene.

“We want to activate in the community beyond just the games,” he said.

The hope is the Pelicans tour will be the first of many for NBA teams.

“I’d like to say that there’ll be competitions for NBA teams to get here if we do this right and we feel a pretty heavy burden to do that right,” Griffin added.

“The fandom for NBA, for basketball, for NBL is definitely here,” NBL owner Larry Kestelman said.

“It’s on us to prove what a wonderful event we’re going to put on.

“I certainly hope this will become an annual event. I really believe we deserve one game a year that is on our shores.”

New Orleans will take on Melbourne United on October 3 and the South East Melbourne Phoenix on October 5 at Rod Laver Arena.

Pre-sale registrations open yesterday, with incredible demand from fans across Australia already.

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