"Big Z with that Malcom X goatee" - NBA fans abuzz over Zion Williamson's fresh beard look ahead of Pelican vs Jazz game

Zion Williamson has played just nine games for the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2024-25 season. This scarcity has turned his every appearance on the hardcourt into a must-see event, as his availability has been quite limited thus far.

So, when the Pelicans posted pictures on Instagram of the players preparing for their Friday game against the Utah Jazz, fans couldn’t help but focus on Williamson. This time, it wasn’t his skills that drew attention but rather a certain flair in his facial hair:

Zion Williamson's new look (Photo from @PelicansNBA/ IG)

Among all the images and clips of players getting ready for the game, it was Williamson’s goatee that caught fans' attention the most.

A fan compares Zion Williamson's goatee to Malcolm X's look. Image source: IG.com/pelicansnba

"Look at Big Z with that Malcolm X goatee. Nice!!!" commented one netizen.

"Goatee Z!" another commented.

"Zion cut the beard," another observed.

"Z finally chopped off the patches," another added.

Fans on X (formerly Twitter) also shared their thoughts:

"My boy went Goatee on em. It's clean too," one said.

"Zion musta talked to Dinwiddie about facial hair Wednesday," another commented.

Williamson and the Pelicans are set to face the Jazz on Friday.

Stephen A. Smith: Zion Williamson prefers a big-market team

As the Feb. 6 trade deadline approaches, fans and analysts are speculating about the future of Zion Williamson. One NBA insider has shed light on the All-Star forward’s potential preferences.

On the Jan. 14 episode of "First Take," ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith claimed that Williamson reportedly wants out of New Orleans for a specific reason:

"Zion doesn’t want to be in New Orleans ... He wants to be in a major market like L.A., New York or whatever because he wants the marketability," Smith claimed.

When Williamson entered the 2019 NBA draft, fans were excited about the possibility of the New York Knicks drafting him. However, the Pelicans won the draft lottery, leaving the Knicks with the No. 3 pick, which they used to select Williamson's former Duke teammate, RJ Barrett.