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Pelicans stars dish on Bill Russell’s unbreakable record, new musical taste

Originally posted on ClutchPoints | By Chris Dodson | Last updated 1/12/24

Remember that 44-point NBA In-Season Tournament semifinal loss in Las Vegas? Well, forget about it. The New Orleans Pelicans have seemingly pulled an ol’ Sin City switcharoo. A quick trip to Southern Nevada is a fun, short getaway from the slog of business as usual for most. Well, apparently Zion Williamson’s Pelicans had to suffer through a Los Angeles-heavy crowd before really letting loose and having fun this season. Willie Green’s high-character Pelicans are 11-4 since that minor setback and the games have not been close most nights.

The Pelicans are having so much fun Williamson has gone back on his Media Day promise of “no smiles” this season. The two-time All-Star is starting to let down his guard with some questions, especially if they are fashion-related or involve basketball history. Those worlds got blended together after New Orleans put a 133-100 whopping on the Golden State Warriors.

There was only so much to say, or ask, about another dominant win by the Pelicans. Williamson had an efficient, almost quiet 19 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and a steal against Steph Curry’s Warriors. The 23-year-old was all smiles when taking the podium and his Bill Russell shirt became a topic of conversation in the postgame press scrum.

“Bill Russell is a legend on the court and off the court, especially in the time period he played,” Williamson detailed. “Eleven rings. I’m not saying that it is impossible but I don’t think we’ll ever see that broken. Gonna be a long time. (The shirt) is just a sign of respect.”

Trey Murphy learning new musical trends

Trey Murphy III missed the Pelicans’ first 19 games this season due to an offseason knee surgery. Three games of rest were needed to nurse some soreness after returning to the rotation and Murphy was on a minute restriction to ramp up. After 15 games in the rotation, the budding star is averaging 13.8 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.1 assists on over 45% shooting from the field.

And Murphy is just getting warmed up. The Virginia alum’s non-basketball-related postgame session after beating Golden State quickly veered to music.

“I’ve become a really big Larry June fan,” Murphy shared. “His music is really, really elite and I support the brand as well so shout out to Larry June. Shout out to (former Pelicans player) Jaxson Hayes as well. He’s one of the guys that put me on to Larry June, him and Larry Nance Jr.”

Anyone walking down the hallway of the Smoothie King Center after a win can hear the joy jumping out of the locker room. This team is meshing to a variety of music, smiling more often than in previous years, and will make Pelicans franchise history if they keep up this pace.

This article first appeared on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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