New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson has undergone a physical transformation this offseason as he looks to get his NBA career back on track. Williamson has struggled to stay healthy for much of his time in the NBA, and Gilbert Arenas explained what went wrong on The Gilbert Arenas Show.
“He just fell into being an NBA player,” Arenas said. “H*es, partying, fame, money, you know what I mean? It happens, right? And when you’re indulging in the late-night activities, you get exactly what comes with it, right? You get kids, STDs, but not saying he got those. You get drama. You get tired, your body fatigues, man.
“You’re out there f***ing all night, man,” Arenas stated, “You’re out there doing God’s work during the Devil’s time… It catches up with you, and it caught up with him. And I’m glad that he took his time this summer. Really focused on his weight.
“Listen, his talent is his talent,” Arenas added. “The only thing that holds him back will be his weight. And as long as he focuses on that every summer and during the season, he can catch back to what he’s supposed to be. If he lost 15 pounds, watch out.”
Williamson was, of course, famously involved with adult film actress Moriah Mills at one point. Arenas thinks the two-time All-Star, who has been listed at 284 pounds, couldn’t resist the temptations of the nightlife.
Williamson’s eating habits don’t appear to have been great over the years, either. The likes of Stephen A. Smith have called him out over it, although some of the criticism has been a bit too much.
Still, when you miss as much time as Williamson has, you give people an excuse to go after you. The 25-year-old is entering his seventh season in the NBA, and he has only played in 214 games out of a possible 472. He has missed 258 games in total, and that’s a shocking number.
Such was the concern about Williamson’s weight that the Pelicans had included a weight clause in his contract when they gave him a five-year, $193 million extension in 2022. Williamson is going to have to stay in good shape moving forward, or he risks not getting $87.06 million over the final two years of his deal.
It is unclear if this was the biggest motivation for Williamson getting in shape. He stated he hasn’t felt this good since he was in college, and that’s good news for the Pelicans.
Pelicans head coach Willie Green has high expectations of Williamson for 2025-26. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 1.2 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 2024-25.
Those are good numbers, but Williamson only played in 30 games, and that contributed to the Pelicans finishing the season with a 21-61 record. If he can stay relatively healthy, they could at least be in contention for the play-in spots.
We have had a fair few false dawns when it comes to Williamson, and here’s hoping we get to see the best of him in this upcoming campaign.
