NBA star Zion Williamson accused of rape in lawsuit

A lawsuit was filed against NBA star Zion Williamson on Friday, accusing the New Orleans Pelicans player of raping and physically abusing a woman who claims they dated from 2018 to 2023.

A lawsuit was filed against NBA star Zion Williamson on Friday, accusing the New Orleans Pelicans player of raping and physically abusing a woman who claims they dated from 2018 to 2023.

The lawsuit was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court by a woman who will proceed anonymously with the suit as Jane Doe. She accused Williamson, 24, of raping her in his Beverly Hills home in September 2020, and again at an unspecified location in Beverly Hills a month later.

In a statement, Williamson’s attorney, Michael A. Balascio, described the woman’s lawsuit as an “extortion attempt.”

“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them,” he said. “The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless.”

The NBA and the Pelicans did not immediately respond to requests for comment.