NBA news: It wasn’t too long ago that Zion Williamson was named in a $100 million lawsuit by a Florida-based sports agent for supposedly breaking the terms of their contract. The New Orleans Pelicans superstar got that case dismissed, though, after a federal court determined that the said agent was not duly licensed at the time she got in an agreement with Zion.
Williamson has now been named in another lawsuit, and while the amount is much smaller, it’s still another substantial legal hiccup that his camp will need to deal with.
NBA News: Zion Williamson, Family Sued by California-Based Tech Firm

Ankr PBC, a California-based technology company, filed a lawsuit earlier this week in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, per a report by ESPN. The lawsuit has named the Pelicans superstar, his stepfather, and his mother as defendants over allegations of an unpaid loan. Ankr, which focuses on blockchain technology, allegedly lent Williamson and Co. $2 million, of which an outstanding $1.8 million remains unpaid.
The lawsuit states that Zion’s stepfather, Lee Anderson, represented his stepson in the deal with Ankr. Anderson supposedly demanded a $150,000 upfront payment, which Ankr paid.
“Based on Williamson’s statements to Ankr, Ankr reasonably believed that Anderson possessed the authority to negotiate business arrangements for Williamson,” the lawsuit stated.
Willimson’s mother, Sharonda Sampson is also named in the lawsuit because the $2 million was supposedly wired to her account after Anderson told Ankr that “his family would suffer financial hardship, and Williamson would not enter into a business relationship with Ankr” if they did not loan them the money immediately.
“Anderson represented that the loan was urgently needed, as the family had taken on expensive investments including the purchase of certain real estate in New Orleans and could not meet their obligations due to the temporary suspension of payments from Williamson’s sponsorship deals resulting from an injury,” the lawsuit stated.
Zion’s camp reportedly paid back $500,000, but Ankr alleges that $300,000 covered interest charges, thus the outstanding balance of $1.8 million.
NBA News: Zion Williamson’s Contract Situation With Pelicans

In case you were wondering, Zion Williamson can very well pay for the $2 million he’s being sued for — not that he would, of course. The former Duke standout’s max rookie extension will kick in beginning this coming season, and he will be earning $33.5 million. This is the first year of the five-season deal he signed with the Pelicans last year which is worth a staggering $193 million.
This makes you think: why would a man earning this much money “loan” $2 million and decide not to pay it back? Something just does not add up here.
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