Over the last five years, no other player has faced as much criticism as Zion Williamson has for his fitness and health. The New Orleans Pelicans star has been trolled relentlessly on the Internet for being overweight. But talking heads on National TV have not spared him either.
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Recently, one of the harshest remarks ever made about him resurfaced on Reddit. In December 2023, Stephen A. Smith went on a rant on First Take about Zion’s questionable diet, saying some very disrespectful things about the two-time All-Star.
Stephen A. has a reputation for being blunt and unfiltered. However, Zion must’ve not expected the media veteran to come at him the way he did. He said,
“It is shameful…I’m not exaggerating, I’m quoting people. You’ve got chefs in New Orleans who love him, they’re looking for him. Every chef, they want to meet him.”
Stephen A. took his criticism to another level by claiming that Zion is known in New Orleans as someone who will eat everything in sight. He added, “The word out on Zion Williamson is that he will eat the table. I’m quoting, ‘He’ll eat the table.’ What in the hell is going on with Zion Williamson?”
At the time, the Pelicans star was struggling with his fitness, which was also visible in his performances.
(Dec. 2023) In one of the most unhinged sports rants ever, Stephen A. Smith rips Zion’s conditioning and diet: “Every chef there wants to meet him”, “Word out on Zion Williamson is that he will eat the table”
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At 6’6, Zion is listed at 285 pounds. The Athletic reported in December 2023, “Under the contract, the sum of Williamson’s weight in pounds and his body fat percentage must be less than 295. He was listed as weighing 285 pounds last season, meaning his body fat could not be higher than 10 percent.”
So, it’s obvious that the 24-year-old needed to work a lot on his fitness. Fortunately, he has an incredible blueprint of LeBron James that he wishes to follow.
Zion Williamson vowed to make changes to his fitness regime
During an appearance on Gil’s Arena, Zion talked about the most vulnerable spot in his game, his fitness. He said that he understands the responsibility he has for the organization that drafted him as the number one pick in 2019. The Pelicans star revealed that he’s been inspired by LeBron’s $1.5 million workout regimen, and he aims to follow it.
He said, “I’m always able to come each summer feeling good, looking good. But I’d say it’s more of a, just locking in on flexibility, band work, because I think it’s those things that will be able to keep me on the court longer versus just losing bunch of weight and then coming to play not being able to maintain. Bron got the blueprint, I’m trying my best to follow that, man.”
The development was seen in Zion’s game last season. While he only played 29 games in the 2022-23 season, he played 70 games in the 2023-24 season, averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and five assists. He also shot 57% from the field and almost secured a playoff spot for his team when he dropped 40 on the Lakers.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t finish the game due to an injury.
