Zion Williamson‘s alleged poor eating habits and injury issues have finally caught up to the New Orleans Pelicans star. After failing to meet the weight clauses and minimum game requirements in the 2022-23 season, the final three years of his contract, totaling up to $127 million, are no longer fully guaranteed. Retired NBA star Gilbert Arenas discussed the situation on the Gil’s Arena podcast and started with a question for the Pelicans star:
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“Now is that extra pizza, extra burger, midnight snacks worth millions? Hundred million?”
Arenas added that Williamson’s issues have already set a bad precedent. Any team or sponsor looking to land him will add weight clauses to his contract.
He also revealed that he heard that the Jordan brand hired a personal trainer and chef to ensure the Pelicans star stays in shape. Arenas suggested that the team should hire security to ensure Williamson doesn’t order food service when he’s at the hotel the night before the team’s game:
“I’m going to spend an extra million dollars on security to protect my investment. Same thing I was saying with Ja [Morant]. I’ll spend an extra million dollars. I got your security. I’m willing to give you $200 million, what’s going to cost me an extra $1 million for security?”
Arenas suggested that the team should take this drastic to ensure they protect their investment. His suggestion to the Pelicans to try and stop Williamson from indulging himself is borderline embarrassing for the young star. However, given his reluctance to take his diet seriously, New Orleans could be forced to take a drastic step like hiring security to ensure no food except the meals cooked by the team-appointed chef reaches Williamson.
Zion Williamson’s contract: Pelicans star’s $127 million salary on the line
The Pelicans handed Zion Williamson a five-year, $193 million contract extension in the 2022 offseason. However, given his injury and weight issues, the team added a slew of clauses, including a weight clause, to ensure they aren’t forced to pay a premium salary to an injured or unfit star.
Williamson played only 29 games in the 2022-23 NBA season and failed to meet the minimum games quota to ensure his contract remains guaranteed. The last three years of his contract are now non-guaranteed. The Pelicans also have the power to waive Williamson at the end of the 2024-25 season without any financial ramifications. However, the team will only consider using this mechanism if the situation deteriorates beyond repair. Williamson can re-guarantee his salary if he plays 61 games before the non-guaranteed year.
The forward’s numbers have seen a sharp this season. Through 23 games, he’s averaging 22 points and 5.8 rebounds, a far cry from the 27 points, and 7.2 rebounds he averaged in the 2020-21 season, which helped him get an All-Star nod. Williamson is in his fifth season in the NBA but has failed to hit the heights that earned him comparisons to LeBron James during his time in high school and at Duke.
