Zion Williamson announced Friday that he is covering all Smoothie King Center workers' pay for the next 30 days. With the NBA at a standstill for at least the next month while it waits out the coronavirus, many of the game-day staff who make Pelicans home games hum along smoothly were going to miss paychecks.

On Thursday, commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA was suspending play for "at least 30 days." The Pelicans were scheduled to play seven home games within that timeframe.

Williamson, 19, is stepping up to make sure arena staffers are able to pay their bills while the NBA is paused.

"The people of New Orleans have been incredibly welcoming and supportive since I was drafted by the Pels last June, and some of the most special people I have met are those who work at the Smoothie King Center," Williamson wrote on Instagram. "These are the folks who make our games possible, creating the perfect environment for our fans and everyone involved in the organization. Unfortunately, many of them are still recovering from long-term challenges created by Katrina, and now face the economic impact of the postponement of games because of the virus."

He continued: "My mother has always set an example for me about being respectful for others and being grateful for what we have, and so today I am pledging to cover the salaries for all of those Smoothie King Center workers for the next 30 days. This is a small way for me to express my support and appreciation for these wonderful people who have been so great to me and my teammates, and hopefully we can all join together to relieve some of the stress and hardship caused by this national health crisis. This is an incredibly resilient city full of some of the most resilient people but sometimes providing a little extra assistance can make things a little easier for the community."

Williamson became the latest player to step up and pay arena workers' salaries while NBA games aren't going on. On Thursday, Milwaukee's Giannis Antetokoumpo and Cleveland's Kevin Love each pledged $100,000. Detroit's Blake Griffin followed suit Friday as he pledged $100,000.

Several teams, including the Mavericks, Nets, Hawks and Wizards, have announced that they will compensate arena workers during the NBA's hiatus.

"You know, they get paid by the hour, and this was their source of income," Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said. "We’ve already started the process of having a program in place. I don’t have any details to give, but it’s certainly something that’s important to me."

The Pelicans are a tenant at Smoothie King Center. ASM Global, a venue and management company based in Los Angeles, is responsible for paying the employees who work Pelicans games at Smoothie King Center. In a statement released after Williamson's announcement, the Pelicans said they had spoken to ASM on Friday morning about how they could assist Smoothie King Center employees.

"The Pelicans say thank you and applaud Zion and his family for his generous giving today to the employees of ASM New Orleans and the Smoothie King Center during this very unfortunate and troubling time," the statement read. "Earlier this morning, the Pelicans engaged with management at ASM New Orleans to determine what the team could do through ASM New Orleans to assist their employees. While it is a bit more complicated being that the Pelicans are simply the tenant of the building, the giving and helping this community in a time of need by Mrs. Benson and her organizations is unquestioned. When people need help, there is NEVER a question of who will be there."

It is unclear when NBA games will resume. On Thursday, the NBA told teams they must remain in their home markets and are not allowed to hold group practices, meetings or workouts until Tuesday.