With the Sacramento Kings on the verge of losing to the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday night, a frustrated fan threw a chicken wing on the court. While veteran TNT announcer Kevin Harlan hilariously called out the individual, the broadcast soon cut to Zion Williamson.
Fan throws a chicken wing.
Kevin Harlan: “Why would someone throw something that good out on the floor”
The cameraman IMMEDIATELY pans to Zion Williamson 😭😂💀 pic.twitter.com/FTEwkceoTd
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) April 12, 2024
Did they purposefully show Williamson on screen at that point? Well, we’ll never know for sure, but it would be quite a coincidence. The Pelicans star has been ridiculed a fair bit over the years for his eating habits and for being overweight.
After the In-Season Tournament semifinals in December, Stephen A. Smith blasted Williamson for being fat. Smith brutally stated that it appeared as if the 23-year-old had eaten an entire buffet before the game.
That defeat to the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals of the tournament might well have been the low point of the season for Williamson. He only had 13 points, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in the game, as the Pelicans lost 133-89. Williamson was getting hammered from all corners for not being in shape after that contest, but to his credit, things started to change after that.
Both he and the team have played well over the last few months, and Williamson had 31 points, 4 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block here against the Kings, as the Pelicans won 135-123. They completed a 5-0 season series sweep as a result and improved to 48-32 in 2023-24.
Zion Williamson’s Weight Has Been A Topic Of Conversation All Season
With Williamson missing the entire 2021-22 season and then playing just 29 games in 2022-23, the spotlight was firmly on him coming into this campaign. It had been reported that Zion had spent more time in the gym in the offseason than ever before, but the early signs come at the start of the season, and they weren’t great.
I go back to that game against the Lakers, where he looked really out of shape. Following that contest, it was reported that Williamson was ignoring the Pelicans’ requests to improve his diet and conditioning. You feared the worst at that point, that perhaps he would never come close to fulfilling his potential.
It appeared his weight might cost him millions as well. As per reports, Williamson could lose $126 million if he did not meet weigh-in checkpoints. It seemed to be all doom and gloom at the end of 2023, but things changed for the better in a big way in 2024, as the star forward seemingly started taking better care of his body.
In March, NBA insider Brian Windhorst reported that Williamson had lost 25 pounds since the In-Season Tournament. I thought all the criticism coming his way was getting a bit extreme, but it might have motivated Williamson to get his act together and the team has thrived as a result.
The Pelicans are now on the cusp of securing the sixth seed in the Western Conference. If they beat the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Lakers in their last two games, they will avoid the NBA Play-In Tournament and directly get into the playoffs.
The Pelicans will be looking to Williamson to seal the deal. He has averaged 23.0 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals, and 0.7 blocks per game this season and will need to put in a couple more special performances to help them get past the Warriors and Lakers.
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