Pelicans VP David Griffin: Zion Williamson not cleared for 5-on-5

New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin said Friday that Zion Williamson, who has been out since Jan. 2 with a right hamstring strain, was not cleared to play 5-on-5 basketball, and that Williamson wasn't simply choosing not to play in Wednesday's win-or-go-home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It was an attempt to clarify statements made by Williamson himself when he said Tuesday that he was physically feeling fine and would return to play «when I feel like Zion» again.

Those comments came the day before the Pelicans' play-in tournament loss to the Thunder. Prior to that game, Williamson warmed up on the court and finished with several dunks, including a windmill to end his workout.

«He came up here the other day and said 'physically, I'm fine.' 'Physically I'm fine' means 'I'm not currently injured,'» Griffin told reporters during the team's exit interviews. «He wasn't physically cleared to play basketball. He was playing 1-on-none. He went up and windmill dunked pregame. That's not the skill set that makes you capable of playing 5-on-5 basketball. So for people to now say, 'He chose not to play basketball,' that's nonsense. That's not factual. But that's a way more interesting story than he chose not to play basketball. That's the truth.»

On April 6, the Pelicans released a statement saying Williamson was going to «continue his rehabilitation and conditioning regimen. The following day, Griffin told reporters there were still metrics in the weight room and on the court that Williamson needed to hit before being cleared to return to action.

»He makes the one misstatement about 'physically I'm fine.' Had I been here, I would have clarified it immediately," Griffin