Zion Williamson has been receiving tremendous criticism for not being in shape. The critics do not doubt the Pelicans’ star talent on the basketball court but believe his eating habits have caused the slew of injuries in the past few years. After witnessing a substandard performance in the In-Season Tournament semi-final from Zion, members of the ‘NBA on TNT’ crew – Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal– also criticised the player. Since then, there have been a couple of back-and-forth remarks between them.
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During the pre-game show of the Memphis Grizzlies and the New Orleans Pelicans, the crew of TNT watched the clip where Zion replied back to Shaq and Chuck. Responding to their criticism the 23-year-old said that if it is not coming from a place of love, then everyone is entitled to their opinion. Hearing Zion’s comments, Shaq said,
“I have G-14 classification. I am the President when it comes to being a dominant big man, there is no other. When it comes to being a dominant big man, I am the authority. I am the go to man. I sat there watching. I said he doesn’t run hard, doesn’t create easy baskets for himself and it looks like he is not ready.”
The two NBA superstars claimed that they criticize players who they believe have the potential to achieve greatness. And according to them, Zion has the talent. He should be taking the criticism on the chin and responding with his own hook. Shaq clarified, “We only criticize the people that we like. We only criticize the people that we believe in.” Re-iterating the above fact, Barkley said,
“Why would he worry where it’s coming from? It’s coming from a place [where] we want him to be great.”
Shaquille O’Neal, who has received his fair share of criticism in his career for being overweight, is well known to take the criticism with force and dominance. The 4x once showed his six-pack abs when ‘The Big Show’ claimed he’s ‘getting fatter every week’. His ex-teammate Kobe Bryant once praised him, “Generally guys at that size are a little timid and they don’t want to be tall, they don’t want to be big. Man, this dude, he did not care. He was mean, he was nasty, he was competitive, he was vindictive.” Shaq was different and rightly so as he went on to win the 4x NBA Championship with his huge stature.
Gilbert Arenas also asked Shaq and Chuck to help Zion during this tough time as the two legends know how to deal with it. Definitely, Shaq can be the one who might help Zion in the best possible way as the 3x Finals MVP lost around 55 lbs in his 50s.
Zion Williamson’s struggles with his diet
Zion Williamson entered the league as the Number one pick in the 2019 NBA draft. It was his agility and speed, combined with his size, that attracted the NBA franchises toward the young player. However, due to injuries, his career has gotten off to a rocky start. The NBA community believes his inability to remain in shape is causing the injuries.
ESPN Analyst -Stephen A. Smith talked about Williamson’s inability to resist good food and said his sources believe ‘Zion will eat the table‘. As a matter of fact, the young player himself has talked about his struggles in controlling his diet. As a guest on ‘Gil’s Arena’, the player said, “There are times where I will say, ‘Man, that s–t hard.”
New Orleans Pelicans have a talented team, but the team will go as far as Zion is willing to take them. Despite having players like Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, it’s the young forward, who brings that X-factor to the lineup. And there are no doubts about his abilities. He has shown flashes of brilliance on the court. However, it’s the inconsistencies on the court that can be narrowed down to his fitness that troubles the young player.
