New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson was accused in a lawsuit filed in California on Thursday of raping a woman on two separate occasions. The two-time NBA All-Star has denied those allegations. 

The assault accusations were first reported Friday by Eriq Gardner of Puck. According to the lawsuit filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, the woman claimed she was in a relationship with Williamson while he played basketball at Duke. 

The pair allegedly dated from 2018 to 2023, where she claimed Williamson engaged in a "pattern of abusive, controlling, and threatening behavior," Gardner reported, sharing an excerpt of the lawsuit. 

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The New York Post also reported that alleged assaults took place in 2020. According to the report, in one instance, the woman claimed Williamson "picked her up, threw her down to the ground, and pinned her shoulders down so she could not move," and then he allegedly "violently raped Plaintiff in multiple ways."

The woman also claimed that Williamson used abusive language when she refused to be intimate with him. 

In a statement from Williamson’s attorneys shared by the Pelicans, the NBA star denied all allegations. 

"We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them. The allegations contained in the complaint are categorically false and reckless," the statement read. Williamson's attorneys added that the lawsuit is "an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance." 

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"Mr. Williamson and the plaintiff never dated, but did maintain a consensual, casual relationship that began more than six years ago, when he was 18 years old. That relationship ended years ago. At no point during or immediately after that relationship did the plaintiff raise any concerns. Only after the friendship ended did she begin demanding millions of dollars."

According to his attorneys, Williamson reported the "extortion attempts" to law enforcement.

"We understand that an arrest warrant was issued in connection with that report, and we are prepared to provide the court with documentation that supports these facts. Mr. Williamson also intends to file counterclaims and seek significant damages for this defamatory lawsuit. While these allegations are false, we recognize the seriousness of the claims and welcome the opportunity to prove the truth in court. We are confident that the legal process will expose the truth and fully vindicate Mr. Williamson." 

Williamson, 24, was the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Despite a career marred by a lengthy injury history, Williamson would go on to become a two-time NBA All-Star and was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team.

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Minnesota Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch gave forward Joe Ingles a moment to remember during the team’s 134-93 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Target Center on Friday.

Ingles, 37, was in the starting lineup for the first time in three years, and it wasn’t because Finch was looking to spark the team. 

Ingles’ family were in town for the game, as they live in Orlando. Ingles has three kids with his wife Renae, and one of his kids, eight-year-old Jacob, is autistic. 

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In Orlando, Jacob goes to a school he loves and a home that provides him with a safe haven, according to The Athletic. 

For the first time ever, Jacob was able to sit through an NBA game from start to finish. Jacob had never been able to sit through an entire game before, due to sensory overload from being in an NBA arena. 

During the Timberwolves' game against the Utah Jazz on Sunday, Renae and her kids retreated to the family room during halftime. Jacob told his mother that once he got into the room, he didn’t want to miss any of the action. 

"Have the timer on and watch the clock so that I don’t miss a second of the action," Jacob said to his mom, The Athletic noted.

Renae couldn’t believe what she heard, double-checking with him to make sure he was serious. But Jacob was firm. He wanted to watch the second half. 

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"Why? I can play the PlayStation at home. I’m here to watch my dad," Jacob said. 

The only problem for the Ingles family was that Joe didn’t end up playing in that game on Sunday.

Finch heard that Jacob had made it through an entire NBA game, and wanted to give the Ingles family a chance to see Joe play in their final game in Minnesota before they returned to Orlando. 

So, Finch inserted Joe into the starting lineup to ensure that Jacob would see his dad play. 

"Sometimes you gotta do the human thing. We always talk about how all these minutes matter, and (Ingles’) minutes mattered for another reason," Finch said. 

When Finch called Joe into his office to tell him the plan that he was starting, he was caught off guard.

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"Are you sure?" Ingles asked. 

The game was of massive importance for the Timberwolves, as they are battling for the all-important No. 6 seed to avoid having to play in Play-In Tournament. 

Sure enough, Ingles started. He didn’t play well, going 0-3 shooting in just six minutes, but that didn’t matter to the Ingles family. 

"Tonight was a milestone night for our family, and I just had to share! I don’t usually post much NBA content, but this moment was too special to keep to myself," Renae posted to Instagram.

"For the first time ever, Jacob made it through an entire NBA game – out in the stands cheering for his Dads team!"

"Watching him soak in every moment, I couldn’t help but tear up with pride. It’s been 6 years of hard work, dedication, and perseverance to reach this point, and here we are, riding high on this incredible achievement."

"Feeling incredibly thankful for this journey and all the support we’ve had throughout."

"This is the stuff," Joe said, "I’ll remember forever."

The Timberwolves notched the win on Friday night, but more importantly, the Ingles family walked away with a memory that will last a lifetime. 

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The NBA has postponed the New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks game on Wednesday due to the historic snowstorm that has impacted the area. 

With the storm dropping about a foot of snow, it made travel difficult as the typically warm city was not prepared to deal with the elements.

The Bucks flew into town on Monday to beat the snowstorm, a day earlier than they usually would have flown in for a matchup against the Pelicans.

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But with temperatures remaining in the 30s on Wednesday, many main highways in the metro areas were closed by authorities and surface roads throughout town were still coated in ice.

Schools and businesses throughout the area remained closed on Wednesday, along with Louis Armstrong International Airport canceling all commercial departures due to the weather. With those factors taken into consideration, the NBA postponed the game, with no date currently set for the game to be made up.

Schools and businesses throughout the area remained closed on Wednesday. 

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The Bucks’ next game is against the Miami Heat back in Milwaukee on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. 

Following that game against the Heat, the Bucks go on a West Coast road trip, beginning on Saturday, and don’t have another home game until Feb. 2.

The Bucks are scheduled to next play the Pelicans toward the end of the regular season at home on April 9. 

The Pelicans, on the other hand, are scheduled to play on both Friday and Saturday, making it difficult for the NBA to schedule the postponed game soon.

The Pelicans have struggled this season as they are 12-32, the second-worst team in the Western Conference. 

The Bucks have enjoyed much more success than the Pelicans, and are 24-17, good for fourth place in the Eastern Conference. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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As the New Orleans community continues to grieve those lost in the terrorist attack in the early hours of New Year’s Day, the Saints and Pelicans announced one of those killed was an employee of theirs. 

"We remain heartbroken by the tragic events that claimed innocent lives in our city yesterday morning," the Saints’ statement began. "Among those lost was Matthew Tenedorio, a valued member of the ASM New Orleans video production team. Matthew was young, talented, and had a bright future, helping deliver quality content for both the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans.

"Our thoughts, prayers, and deepest condolences are with the Tenedorio family and everyone affected by this senseless act of terrorism. Together, as a city, state, and region, we will come back stronger from this tragedy." 

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More than a dozen people were killed, and many more were injured, when Shamsud-Din Jabbar drove a truck through a crowd on New Orleans’ historic Bourbon Street. Officials determined it was a terror attack. 

The attack prompted the postponement of the Sugar Bowl, a College Football Playoff quarterfinal matchup between Georgia and Notre Dame at the Caesars Superdome. 

The game was originally scheduled for Wednesday night but was moved to Thursday afternoon. 

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Authorities opened Bourbon Street hours before the game Thursday, which Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry is expected to attend. 

"Security is going to be tight," Landry said during an appearance on "Fox & Friends." "We have all confidence that we’re gonna put this game on. The Superdome is completely secure. Again, the FBI continues to pour resources into the state."

Many reacted to the senseless act of violence, including Notre Dame head football coach Marcus Freeman, who spoke to his team about what happened. 

"The first part of that meeting was to mourn and pray for our country," he said during an appearance on ESPN.

"In the toughest moments, the culture of any program, of a nation, are revealed. I have a lot of faith we're going to rally around the city of New Orleans and support all the victims and families that were affected today."

SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey also posted on social media platform X. 

"We remain stunned and saddened by the New Year’s Day tragedy in New Orleans," Sankey wrote.

"We are also grateful for the work of so many to adjust and adapt to make a football game possible today for @GeorgiaFootball and @NDFootball."

The winner of the Sugar Bowl will move on to face No. 6 Penn State, which defeated No. 3 Boise State New Year’s Eve. 

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The New Orleans Pelicans played their regular-season matchup against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night in South Florida with a heavy heart as their city reels from a terror attack that left more than a dozen dead.

Pelicans head coach Willie Green was among those from the team who spoke out about the attack that took place in the early hours of New Year’s Day.

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Green said he was "devastated" over it. He said he found out about what occurred in a happy New Year text from his father. The Pelicans play their home games at the Smoothie King Center – about one mile southwest of where the terror attack occurred.

"A senseless act of violence," Green said. "We've discussed it a bit with our players. But we're just living in times and in a world where you just don’t know where you’re safe. 

"Schools, churches, people should be able to go out and have a good time and walk the streets. It's devastating. And I can only imagine what those families are going through, what they have to deal with now for the rest of their lives."

Pelicans forward Trey Murphy III said he knew his mother was downtown during the New Year festivities as well as his chef. He said he was scared for their safety but learned they were fine.

"You feel a little sigh of relief," Murphy said. "But there were a lot of people that didn't hear that sigh of relief today."

Murphy added that it was a "true shame."

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"People try to enjoy themselves and go into the new year with a different mindset and now there are a lot of families that have to deal with this tragedy," he said. "And I just have a lot of prayers and thoughts going out to those families, because it just doesn’t make sense. 

"Stuff like that shouldn’t happen. You shouldn’t have to worry about going to Bourbon Street and enjoying yourself, then ending up having to lose a loved one."

Former NBA player Antonio Daniels was on the call for the Pelicans’ broadcast of the game. He and play-by-play man Joel Meyers expressed their condolences over the attack.

"If you think about what Bourbon Street represents, it’s a place of joy. It’s a place of laughter. It’s a place of marriages, of bachelorette parties, bachelor parties, a place where people come together," Daniels said. "And like coach Green said, a senseless act of violence comes to try and tear this city apart? My heart hurts. My heart hurts for this city. It’s unfortunate. It’s unfortunate that this is the dark world that we live in today."

Miami won the game 119-108.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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