NBA star Zion Williamson accused of raping, kidnapping, assaulting ex-girlfriend

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE/Gray News) - A woman has accused New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson of rape, assault and kidnapping during their relationship together.

The woman, who is identified as Jane Doe, has filed a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The lawsuit outlines allegations that span several years and multiple states, including California, Louisiana and Texas.

The woman claims she began dating Williamson in 2018, while he was playing college basketball at Duke University. She said the abuse started shortly after the New Orleans Pelicans drafted him.

The woman alleges that on Sept. 23, 2020, after visiting Williamson at his Beverly Hills rental during training, he raped and choked her while appearing intoxicated.

The suit claims he became angry after she said she was tired and wanted to sleep. She accuses him of calling her derogatory names before sexually assaulting her, throwing her phone and screaming at her.

Another incident allegedly occurred on Oct. 10, 2020, when the woman says Williamson raped her a second time after she told him she wanted to visit friends in San Diego. She claims he took her phone and laptop afterward, preventing her from seeking medical care.

“These two incidents were not isolated,” the lawsuit states. The plaintiff alleges that Williamson “continued to abuse, rape, assault and batter” her across multiple states through 2023.

The woman also accuses the NBA star of repeated death threats, including threatening to have his security guard shoot her and kill her parents. In one alleged incident in Louisiana in 2022, she says Williamson pointed a loaded gun at her head.

The lawsuit claims Williamson beat her with his hands and feet, strangled her until she lost consciousness multiple times, and kidnapped her by locking her in a car and transporting her against her will.

Williamson’s attorney, Michael Balascio, said they are taking the allegations with the “utmost seriousness, and we unequivocally deny them.”

According to Balascio, the two dated but maintained a consensual, casual relationship. He believes the lawsuit is consistent with previous extortion attempts that resulted in an arrest warrant being issued.

“This appears to be an attempt to exploit a professional athlete driven by a financial motive rather than any legitimate grievance,” the statement reads. “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.”

Williamson’s legal team plans to file counterclaims and seek damages.

“We don’t want to litigate this case in the media,” the woman’s attorney, Sam E. Taylor of The Lanier Law Firm, shared in a statement. “But I will say this is a very serious case as reflected in the pleadings that have been filed, and our client looks forward to her day in court to seek justice in this matter.”

Copyright 2025 WVUE via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.