Zion Williamson’s scandalous offseason now includes a lawsuit.
The embattled Pelicans forward — who recently has been at the center of trade rumors and an ongoing saga involving a former adult film star — is being sued by a California-based tech company, along with his mother and stepfather, for allegedly failing to pay back $1.8 million of a $2 million loan.
Ankr PBC, a company that focuses “in blockchain-related technologies used in finance and data storage,” according to the Associated Press, said in the filing it made the loan to the 23-year-old Williamson and family members in September 2021.
At the time, the company was trying to forge a marketing relationship with Williamson, who was drafted No.1 overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, in hopes he could serve as an Ankr spokesperson.
Ankr assisted Williamson with community events, according to the lawsuits, and provided a personal chef and physical trainer for the athlete.
Lee Anderson, Williamson’s stepfather, acted as the two-time All-Star’s business manager and demanded $150,000 up-front, according to the lawsuit.
The conditions surrounding the loan from Ankr were that it was to be paid back in August 2022.
Anderson allegedly requested extensions, and when Ankr received a $25,000 check from him, the check apparently bounced.
“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.
According to the lawsuit, Ankr and Anderson “entered into a forbearance agreement in which the company agreed not to sue if it received repayment of $500,000 by April 25 [of 2023],” the AP reported.
Further, the outstanding money was due by July 6, 2023.
Although Ankr said it received $500,000 on time, $300,000 of that covered interest with $1.8 million ultimately unpaid, according to the legal docs.
Williamson’s mother Sharonda Sampson also is named as a defendant in the suit, in part because Ankr wired money into her account, according to AP.
This isn’t the first time Williamson and his stepfather faced a lawsuit regarding the NBA star’s marketing dealings.
In June 2019, marketing agent Gina Ford countersued Williamson for $100 million in damages, claiming breach of contract — which came after Williamson sued Ford and Prime Sports in an attempt to terminate his marketing agreement with her company.
A federal judge in North Carolina ruled in January 2021 that any agreement Ford had to represent Williamson was void due to her not being a licensed agent in that state at the time she met with the athlete.
Williamson, who has not played since January, has made headlines throughout the offseason due in part to his personal affairs.
In April, Skip Bayless said Pelicans management is “increasingly at odds with Zion’s stepfather, who is sort of running the show on the Zion camp.”
At the time, Bayless claimed the organization felt as though Anderson’s guidance, specifically about Williamson’s health, was holding him back from playing.
Months later, former adult film actress Moriah Mills threatened to release what she said were sex tapes with Williamson and also shared screenshots of an apparent Snapchat exchange with the Pelicans player — one of which implied an offer to fund her move to New Orleans.
Mills’ allegations came after Williamson’s apparent girlfriend, Ahkeema, announced they’re expecting a baby girl together.
He has not yet confirmed the pregnancy.
Williamson has missed 194 regular-season games, as well as all nine of the Pelicans’ postseason contests, in his NBA career due to a number of injuries.
Last summer, he signed a five-year, $193 million rookie max contract with escalators up to $231 million, which begins in the 2023-24 season.
It was previously reported there is a weight clause in Williamson’s deal.
The alleged discord continued Thursday when The Athletic reported that one source associated with the team believes the Pelicans should “pull the plug” on Williamson.
A separate insider was cited in the report saying he believes Williamson is going to be motivated by his controversial summer.
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