But that didn't stop 165 single-game media passes being issued, compared with just 25 of these credentials for every previous New Orleans home game this campaign.
The pulling power of the #1 draft pick, who remember, up until yesterday hadn't played a single NBA game, is just extraordinary.
When his capture was confirmed, another 12,000 Pelicans season tickets were sold in the first week alone, while 10,000 fans turned up just to watch his first team practice.
He has 4.4 million online followers and his jersey has already outsold all the other first-round picks combined.
Zion Williamson is absolutely perfect for the new 30-second attention span dickpic instagram generation. Remember the name, not the team, remember the name, but never what they might collectively achieve.
This is the dumbing down of sport where everything is reduced to postcard size.
It's all and only all about highlights, superstar players and spectacular plays.
Where sport is becoming less and less about the game, the series or contest and increasingly reduced to a tweet, a meme, an instagram moment.
