The NBA world was stunned when it was reported a few weeks ago that Luka Doncic had lost 35 lbs. Now, Zion Williamson has generated a similar buzz among NBA fans after he spoke during the press conference on the Pelicans’ media day ahead of the season.
While Williamson spoke about his own health during the conference, fans around the league on social media seemed confident that he seemed fitter than he had ever been. Fans equated his transformation to Doncic’s and claimed that it may be even more significant.
“His weight loss might be crazier than Luka’s. Wow, hope he stays healthy.”
“He might’ve lost too much weight… buddy’s head big as hell now.”
“His weight loss is definitely 20x more meaningful than Luka’s.”
“So tired of y’all acting like Luka’s weight loss was some insane feat. Lmao bro just got in shape after letting himself slip for a while… he was never fat. This Zion sh** is just unhealthy, and he actually was fat…”
“Definitely is [crazier than Luka] lol. Zion was much fatter than Luka. But sadly, the NBA has passed him by now; it’s Ant, Wemby, and Flagg as the next American stars. He is a second-tier star at best, most probably a third-tier.”
his weight loss might be crazier than luka’s wow
hope he stays healthy https://t.co/c2xIrLll6E
— Coach Rome (@Rome_Beast) September 23, 2025
Doncic reportedly came down from 265 lbs to 230 lbs this summer. While Williamson is currently listed at 284 lbs, we expect that number could change soon. Also speaking during the conference was Zion Williamson’s teammate, Trey Murphy III, who spoke about his fitness as well.
“He looks good. Yeah, he looks good right now. He’s slimmer than I’ve ever seen him during the summertime, which is always a really good sign. And, you know, I just feel like he’s in a really good place mentally.”
Williamson and his teammates seem confident, but some NBA fans seem skeptical about how Williamson achieved this weight loss and whether it would really impact his game. If Zion Williamson is back to the level of fitness at which he was in his time at Duke, the league is about to have a major problem next season.
Williamson was arguably at his physical peak during his second NBA season (2020-21), where he averaged 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 61.1% from the field to earn his first All-Star appearance in the season.
In 2023-24, he earned his second appearance in an All-Star game after averaging 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. But these are also the only two of his five seasons in the league where he played more than 30 games in a single year.
Therefore, Williamson’s body transformation is a bigger factor in terms of what it could mean for his fitness. Doncic was never facing injury concerns, but Williamson has been plagued by them his entire career. Therefore, I agree with the sentiment that Williamson’s body transformation signifies more for the Pelicans than what Doncic’s does for the Lakers.
