Physical transformation has been in vogue this summer in the NBA. First, it was Luka Doncic who grabbed headlines with his weight loss. And now, it’s Zion Williamson. But the NBA community has reacted to both differently.
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Many eyebrows were raised when Williamson showed up to media day looking leaner and fitter than ever. His transformation has brought hope to his backers and the Pelicans faithful. They are eager to see the former five-star prospect at his best, without injuries affecting his momentum in the upcoming season.
But not everyone fully trusts the appearance. Cam’ron is one of those skeptics who bluntly said that Williamson’s weight loss means nothing.
Williamson’s lifestyle has often been deemed the reason for his struggles to stay fit over the last six years. And Cam’ron feels that’s not going to change.
On the Come and Talk 2 Me podcast, the rapper stated how certain women won’t ever stop chasing Williamson. That, he felt, is one of the reasons why Williamson will still face problems. In terms of basketball, Cameron brought something more intriguing to light.
“Zion lost a lot of weight. Zion’s not that tall to be a power forward, but he’s really strong. And when he is in shape and we do get to see him play, we see him move a lot of people out of the way with his body,” Cam’ron began.
“Losing this much weight, I don’t know if he’s gonna have the same strength… This is the slimmest I’ve ever seen him,” he added.
Cam’ron is wary that Williamson won’t be able to outmuscle his way to the rim like he has since his college days. He hopes, however, that the weight loss has not affected his strength, Zion’s biggest weapon.
Cam’ron then brought up Doncic, who may have been an inspiration for Williamson. According to him, the Los Angeles Lakers star was already one of the best in the league even when he was out of shape, so he doesn’t see a reason why he went through all that effort to lose so much weight.
“Maybe he needs, some n***** need to be out of shape,” Cam’ron insisted, which felt like a feeble attempt at analyzing why Doncic did what he did.
The Slovenian was a force to be reckoned with offensively, yes. His body weight was not in the optimal range for an athlete. It affected his defense, movement, and explosiveness, all of which were holding him back, even if slightly.
We saw the slimmer Luka dominate EuroBasket over the summer, where he averaged 37 points per game. This makes Lakers fans excited for what’s to come, even if Cam’ron appears not to be convinced.
His Williamson assessment carries some weight and genuine worry, but Doncic evidently is on the cusp of being even better than he was before.
Why Williamson hit the gym in the summer
Williamson won’t care what Cam’ron and other critics are saying. He’s taken this step because he wants to feel better, as he recently admitted in his media day interview.
The 25-year-old reflected on the 2024-25 season when he was recovering from his hamstring injury, and his trainer at the Pelicans, Daniel Bove, made a special plan for him. “He was just like, ‘Z, we need to figure this out. When you come back from rehab, we want you to be better than before it happened,” said Williamson.
“During that time frame, last year, I really felt a shift in my body to where I would look at him and go, ‘Dude, it feels good to feel good,'” he continued. “I haven’t felt like this since college. Just, where I can walk in the gym, and I’m like, I feel good.”
Williamson, who was drafted No. 1 overall in 2019, is pretty close to being a bust. Many feel that the 2025-26 season will be his last real shot at stardom with the New Orleans Pelicans. Yes, it’s now or never for the former Duke man.
