Zion Williamson has faced some serious criticism for unhealthy eating habits since arriving in the NBA. Some even believe that it’s what has caused his string of injuries. His former teammate, Dyson Daniels, has now spilled the beans on whether the rumors about Zion’s poor diet choices are true or not.
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In 2023, Stephen A. Smith went on one of the most unhinged rants on ESPN ever, targeting Williamson. SAS aired out Zion for his conditioning and eating habits at the time. It wasn’t long before the New Orleans Pelicans officials came out confirming their concerns over the forward’s conditioning and long-term health.
However, many had also claimed Zion’s run of injuries was just bad luck and had nothing to do with his eating habits. After all, he tore his meniscus in 2019, broke his foot in 2021, had a hamstring strain in 2022, and most recently, a lower back contusion forced him to miss most of 2025. It’s hard to say if any of those injuries have a connection, that too, with diet or even conditioning.
One of those defenders is his former teammate Daniels, who spoke about Zion’s health on the Ausmerican Aces podcast.
“What is the biggest meal you’ve seen him consume?” the interviewer asked.
“Zion,” Daniels said, chuckling. “That’s the thing, he’s not fat. Like he’s built, he’s strong, he’s a tank.
“He’s just had a bad run with injuries. Zion’s my guy, and I see him eat good food. I see him look after his body, recover, and stuff. And yeah, he’s just been unlucky with injuries, and I want to see him out there healthy because his talent is off the charts,” added Daniels.
It might come as a surprise to some to hear that Zion eats healthy and takes care of his body. But that’s what an NBA training regimen can do for a player. Surely, Williamson has some of the best training staff in the world giving him health advice.
Daniels says his former Pelicans teammate is one of the best players in the league when he is fully fit.
“I’ve never seen anyone do what he does,” Daniels marveled.
“Someone who doesn’t have the shooting down pat, that just gets to the rim at will. It’s insane to see, and you don’t really see it until you play with him. And everyone in the league will tell you f**king he’s one of the hardest players to guard. He’s so strong, so athletic- it’s insane. His explosive power,” he elaborated.
Many players, including LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo, have said the same thing in the past. It’s just unfortunate that Williamson hasn’t been able to stay healthy and show off his explosiveness too often. But when he is healthy, oh boy, Zion is a treat to watch.
However, when the interviewer asked if this explosive power could be a reason Zion gets hurt so much, Daniels nodded.
“Yeah, I think it’ll go into it. When you are, what, 280 pounds? Jumping out of the gym, you’re more vulnerable to getting injured. I don’t know what you do. Whether to do injury management with him, but I just want to see him healthy and out there playing because he’s a beast,” added Daniels.
We all want to see Zion healthy at this point. It’s sad to see him sit on the sidelines while the Pelicans could use his help. He could be the key piece they need to make a playoff run.
Last season, Williamson almost single-handedly sent LeBron and the Lakers packing in the NBA Play-In Tournament. But an untimely injury saw him walk off the floor, and let the Lakers grab the 7 seed.
It was a reminder of how dominant he can be at times. Maybe if he can find a way to stay healthy for a prolonged period, we’ll one day even view him in a different light.
