mobile app bar

“Zion Williamson Looks Jacked!”: Shaquille O’Neal Left Stunned by 23-Year-Old Pelicans Star’s Physical Transformation

Advait Jajodia
Published

“Zion Williamson Looks Jacked!”: Shaquille O’Neal Left Stunned by 23-Year-Old Pelicans Star’s Physical Transformation

The New Orleans Pelicans fans will be relieved after seeing a healthy Zion Williamson during the Media Day. Having received a lot of flak in the past for being overweight, Williamson worked extremely hard this off-season and is looking stronger than ever before. Taking inspiration from LeBron James’ $1.5 million annual routine, Williamson has seemed to have shed a considerable amount of weight. Shaquille O’Neal is clearly impressed with the 23-year-old’s physical transformation as he shares a video of Zion looking “jacked” on his IG story.

Zion Williamson has proved himself to be one of the brightest young talents in the league. Despite being 6ft 6”, the undersized forward dominates the paint on a nightly basis. However, Williamson’s four-year young career has been riddled with injuries. Naysayers and trolls have displayed no mercy as the former Duke Blue Devil’s weight keeps arising as the butt of all jokes. From what his recent physical transformation looks like, Zion is trying his best to prove all his detractors wrong.

Shaquille O’Neal is impressed after seeing a slimmer Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson did lose a considerable amount of weight. Additionally, the #1 pick of the 2019 Draft looked as though he gained a few pounds of muscle. As seen in the video below where Williamson is interacting with Jose Alvarado, it is pretty evident that the star is in the best shape he’s been over the past few years.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Overtime (@overtime)

Shaquille O’Neal has often spoken expressed his concerns regarding Zion’s weight. Seeing a slimmer “Zanos”, Shaq seemed to be happy as he shared the same video on his Instagram Story.

The NOLA star recorded 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists before going out with a hamstring injury. Playing merely 29 games in the 2022-2023 season, Williamson had enough time to prepare himself physically as well as mentally for the 2023-2024 campaign. Capitalizing on the extra few months of off-season, the 23-year-old has worked on being “unguardable”.

Williamson is inspired by LeBron’s $1.5 million commitment to his body

LeBron James has played at the peak of his prowess for more than 20 years now. Of course, prioritizing his physical condition was essential for the same. Hence, it is reported that Bron spends almost $1.5 million every year to take care of his body.

Taking a page out of LBJ’s handbook, Williamson revealed how he hoped to emulate the King. On the appearance of Gilbert Arena’s show, Zion revealed his plans to improve his workout regime and maintain his diet.

Clearly, Zion’s plans have been working for the good. David Griffin recently stated that he has never seen Williamson take better care of his body. In merely a few weeks’ time, we’ll see just how improved this slimmer version of Williamson is set to be.

About the author

Advait Jajodia

Advait Jajodia

x-iconinstagram-iconlinkedin-icon

Advait Jajodia, an NBA and Tennis journalist for The SportsRush, has had a passion for both sports for over a decade. His admiration for Kobe Bryant, Stephen Curry, and Rafael Nadal pushed him to gain a profound understanding of the sports. With a background as a multi-sport athlete, Advait uses his experience on the hardwood and the court to offer insightful analysis. Over three years of dedicated sports journalism has equipped the 22-year-old with a unique perspective, reflected in his prolific portfolio of 4,200+ articles.

Read more from Advait Jajodia

Share this article