Stephen A. Smith has never been one to hold back whatever criticisms he has about anybody, but that especially seems to be the case for Zion Williamson. Particularly when it comes to his weight.
If you’ve been following the NBA at all over the last few years then you know Williamson’s weight and his conditioning have been a huge talking point in NBA circles. It’s been that way for a while now. Folks both inside and out of the Pelicans organization have critiqued his habits.
But when Smith does it? Whew, boy. There’s a little extra spiciness that comes with it. Just a few months ago he told everybody that he’d heard Williamson would “eat the table” while he was going on a bizarre rant about the Pelicans star’s weight.
Smith was back at it again on Friday. He completely tears him up here. It’s wild.
"Zion Williamson, it's not about his game. It's about how many burgers he's eating. Whether he is going to be in shape or keep eating McDonald's… That's what he has to prove, that the chefs don't love him any longer"
— Stephen A Smith on the pressure on Zion pic.twitter.com/ot0ejoeZTf
— Pelicans Film Room (@PelsFilmRoom) February 23, 2024
“Zion Williamson, it’s not about his game. It’s about how many burgers he’s eating and whether or not he’s going to be in shape or keep eating McDonald’s and have chefs clamoring for him to come to their restaurants. That’s what he has to prove — that the chefs don’t love him anymore.”
This is so strange, man. Especially because the Pelicans are the 5th seed in the West and Zion is playing pretty well right now. This rant feels totally misplaced and more like an attack.
That’s alright, though. Because the Pelicans have Zion’s back. The team dropped this tweet here and ended everything.
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 23, 2024
Those are Stephen A. Smith’s numbers at Winston-Salem State University. That’s all it took.
This was so petty. Fans loved it.