Zion Williamson entered the NBA in 2019 as one of the most hyped prospects ever. In his one year at Duke, he had shown why he was the easy choice for the No. 1 pick. Zion indeed was a joy to watch on the court with his explosive leaping ability and feathery touch serving as perfect complements to his imposing size.
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Seven years down the road, Zion’s NBA career has not gone the way anybody hoped it would. He has had enormous difficulties staying on the court, and since his arrival, the New Orleans Pelicans have never won 50 games in a season. They did make it to the playoffs twice (2022 and 2024), losing in the first round on both occasions.
Much of the disappointment in Zion’s career has been blamed on his weight. The perception is that he hasn’t dedicated himself enough to staying in shape. And though the forward has stayed relatively healthy this campaign, it’s still just the third time he has played more than 31 games in a season. However, Gilbert Arenas feels Zion shouldn’t have been subjected to the fat shaming he’s endured.
“When we’re talking about ‘overweight,’ we know his body style,” Arenas said on his podcast. “It is a strong football body. But fat? We’ve never seen Zion fat.”
Zion has always been a big boy. And Arenas, while defending the Pelicans star, came armed with examples of players he would consider to be fat.
“Did he come back like Boris Diaw? Hmm? Did he come back like Shawn Kemp after the lockout? That was fat! That was out-of-shape fat. We’ve never seen that from Zion,” said Arenas.
The criticisms of Zion, to some point, are justified, because he hasn’t lived up to his considerable potential. However, Arenas is right that they’ve gone overboard, and it’s thanks to a perfect confluence of factors.
Zion has been extremely injury-prone, for one, and people need an explanation beyond him just being unlucky repeatedly. The Pelicans have been consistent losers for another. And as the once-touted savior of the franchise, Zion gets the brunt of the blame.
Arenas also found another factor that prevents Williamson from pushing his fitness envelope. Being injured so often makes it impossible to stay in great shape.
“If he weighs 260, he’s 270, 275 when he comes back, that’s expected, that’s anybody,” explained Arenas. “I guarantee if you look at [Jayson Tatum], he’s thicker than he’s supposed to be. Gotta run it off.”
Arenas is referring, of course, to Tatum, who just came back from the Achilles tendon tear he suffered in last year’s playoffs.
The Pelicans actually do have some talent on their roster. It’s not inconceivable that they can turn this around in the coming years, or that Zion, who is just 25, would be the one to lead the way when they do. He is still an extremely effective and efficient scorer, and this year has given hope that he might be able to shed the injury-prone label.
