Zion Williamson has been dealing with the same issue since he began his NBA career.
His weight.
He’s been hard on himself enough about it, but with the New Orleans Pelicans approaching him about it, he’s turning the other way.
Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune reported, citing sources, that the team has “repeatedly” told Williamson that his diet and conditioning needs to improve, but he “doesn’t listen.”
Back in July, the two-time All-Star discussed the public criticism attached to his body.
“Since it’s you, I’ll be real,” Williamson said, referring to Gilbert Arenas. “That s— hard, it’s hard man. Like, you’re 20, 22, got a lot of money — it feels like all the money in the world — man, it is hard.
“But I’m at that point now, where, because of certain things, I’m putting back wisdom around me… putting people around me with wisdom, put me on game to certain things and just go from there.”
President of basketball operations David Griffin went public about his concerns on Williamson too. Saying the issues are on Williamson. He added he believed the 23-year-old could do better and said they needed to evaluate him overall.
It’s been the same discussion from the beginning. You can see he’s struggling with it. Even around the holidays, he dodges questions about Thanksgiving dishes.
Tough to see.
About Jessica Kleinschmidt
Jess is a baseball fan with Reno, Nev. roots residing in the Bay Area. She is the host of "Short and to the Point" and is also a broadcaster with the Oakland A's Radio Network. She previously worked for MLB.com and NBC Sports Bay Area.