Carmelo Anthony might be among the most recognizable power forwards in NBA history. Zion Williamson hopes to have his name amongst guys like Melo eventually, but he’s come under fire recently for his weight and conditioning. Melo believes Zion’s South Carolina upbringing is a big reason why he can’t kick his habits.
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“I think, from the beginning, there was so much put on Zion, like thrown at him. You have to be the next, you are the logo, you are the next guy. We haven’t seen nothing like this since ’03. So because of that… this kid is 18, he still wants to eat McDonald’s, this kid still wants to eat Chick-fil-A, this kid still wants to drink iced tea, man, he’s from South Carolina. This is what they do, they eat. It’s family, it’s the country, they’re outside, they’re barbecuing.”
Zion’s weight and conditioning were reportedly questioned by the New Orleans Pelicans recently. Unfortunately, those concerns aren’t without reason, with Zion looking out-of-shape and struggling to play with high effort throughout a game. He’s gassing out during games and his eating habits have once again come under scrutiny.
He’s averaging 22.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists, still good to be one of the best frontcourt players in the NBA. However, the expectation for Zion has always been sky-high. As Melo alluded to, he was supposed to be the next face of the NBA and be the one to take the mantle from LeBron James.
He was walking into All-Star games despite never getting a stretch of 50 games in a season under his belt. This year, reality seems to be settling in, and Zion is the only one who can change the direction his career may be headed.
Charles Barkley And Stephen A. Smith Have Slammed Zion’s Habits
One of the most explosive quotes about Zion’s eating habits came recently from Stephen A. Smith, who made a shocking revelation about chefs in New Orleans being excited about Zion showing up to their restaurants because ‘he’ll eat the table’.
“The conditioning, I saw the brother go to the free throw line, he looked like he had a belly. It is shameful. You got chefs in New Orleans — I’m not exaggerating, I’m quoting people — You got chefs in New Orleans who love him. They’re looking for him. Every chef there wants to meet him because they know he’ll show up at their restaurant. The word out on Zion Williamson is that he’ll eat the table.”
Barkley also raised concerns about Zion’s fitness and motor on the court.
Zion has responded to these concerns without naming the two media personalities who called him out. In a different interview, he claimed he was ready to start proving people wrong.
“If it comes from a great place and a place where they just want to see me do better, thank you. But if it comes from anywhere else, everybody (is) entitled to their own opinion. Can’t control that.”
Zion is one of the league’s best talents and is so naturally gifted that it’s scary to imagine what he could achieve if his strengths are maximized. Unfortunately, it looks like we may see Zion join a list of generational prospects that couldn’t live up to their hype. He can still control it, and it seems recent criticism has motivated him to prove people wrong on the court.
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