Sion changes everything for pelicans in New Orleans

That's it, New Orleans.

It's really happened.

You did not dream. It was not a product of your imagination caused by absinthe.

Zion arrives.

The prodigy of the hoop will bring his breathtaking show to the arbor in New Orleans next month when the Pelicans will choose him with the first overall pick in the NBA 2019 draft on June 20th.

NOLA is five weeks away from the Zion effect.

Thanks to the fortuitous bounce of four ping-pong balls at the NBA Draft Lottery on Tuesday night (May 14), New Orleans has gone from the wasteland to wonderland in the world of basketball.

An organization that Chris Paul and Anthony Davis abandoned suddenly found Juju.

Zion changes everything.

Ticket sales.

Sales of jersey.

TV ratings.

The perception of the pelicans organization.

And perhaps, perhaps, the spirit of his best player: Davis.

Since Davis made his request for an unfortunate trade at the end of January, the profile of pelicans has been radically changed. The club has hired one of the most respected NBA executives to lead David Griffin's basketball operations and is reorganizing its front office. And now, the Pels are about to add the oversized Williamson to their lineup.

It remains to be seen whether or not Davis can be swayed. Tuesday news would not have changed his position. Presumably, he still wants to go out. But Griffin is nothing but intrepid, and he still intends to face the superstar and his agent, Rich Paul, very soon.

If Davis is not intrigued by the idea of ​​teaming with Williamson and Jrue Holiday, the sky will help him. He must be motivated by more than victory, because Big Easy 3 would cause serious damage to their Western Conference rivals.

There's a reason why Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry dropped a F-bomb and the club's ticketing staff lost their collective spirit when the team's fate was revealed on Tuesday night.

Zion is a transcendent talent, a game changer on the field and a developer of franchise. He will be one of the biggest draws in the NBA as soon as he joins the league. LeBron James is the only player with comparable power to enter the NBA in the last two decades.

LeBron made the cover of Sports Illustrated at age 17. Zion has 3.2 million Instagram followers at age 18.

Sion arrived at Duke with great expectations and passed them. He was the only freshman to win the title of player of the year and most valuable player at the ACC tournament. He joins Davis and Kevin Durant as the third freshman to record 500 points, 50 steals and 50 blocked shots in one season.

In addition, Williamson has a radiant personality and a friendly nature. New Orleans will fall in love with his smile by the kilowatt and his humble and disinterested attitude.

Zion has the nibble Reggie Bush with the steak Deuce McAllister. He is Elvis in the high mountains.

And New Orleans can no longer do without the thought of him wearing a pelican uniform.

When the Pelicans improbably challenged to win the first choice, New Orleans broke out with incredulous joy. In a lakeside seafood restaurant, fans gush out of their bar stools to exchange hugs and memorable parties. Social media has exploded. A long-time Saints ticket holder in Mid-City said Zion would encourage him to attend pelicans games for the first time in years. And so on, he went through the city.

These are not just hardened pelicans, notice. These were every day from New Orleans. The Zion effect is real.

The last (and only) time New Orleans had such a craze for basketball was in 1974 when Pistol Pete arrived in town.

New Orleans deserved that.

After the Minneapolis Miracle, the NOLA No-Call and the Davis disaster, New Orleans sports fans were a bit lucky. They had suffered enough. The ping-pong gods put the gris-gris on Tuesday night, and all is well again at NOLA.

Zion is the ideal player at the perfect time to resurrect Pelicans basketball.

A world of possibilities awaits you.