Shaquille O’Neal Expresses Concern for “Best Player in the NBA” Caliber Zion Williamson: “He Needs to Look In the Mirror and Say I Don’t Look Like What I Looked in High School”

New Orleans Pelicans have recently announced that their star forward Zion Williamson is set to rehab his injury away from the team. According to several reports, the 21-year-old will be working on his rehab in Portland, under the team’s supervision. Shaquille O’Neal has been a big admirer of the youngster and has expressed concern for him in a recent show.

Shaquille O’Neal is known for his massive hulking body and weighed around 300 pounds during his early career. However, he used to bully opponents with ease despite the weight. In fact, there came a time when he weighed around 340 pounds after the three-peat win with the Lakers. But it didn’t stop him from winning on the court and he went on to win another championship later on in his career.

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has recently been in news for gaining weight during the off-season. Shaq has now expressed his concern for Zion, who is out due to a foot injury.

Shaquille O’Neal opens up on Zion Williamson’s injury and expresses concern

Former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal recently talked about Zion Williamson in a recent episode of ‘NBA on TNT’. During the show, Kenny Smith and Charles Barkley talked about Zion’s injury and the need for veterans as leaders in an NBA team. Shaq then pitched in with his opinion that Zion himself has to realize and admit his mistake.

“I totally understand what you guys are saying about veterans and the people around him. But at some point, he’s (Zion Williamson) gonna have to say what do I wanna be known as,” Shaq said.

“‘Do I want to be known as the best player in the league, do I want to be this? Do I want to be that?’ He needs to tell himself that. He needs to look in the mirror-like ‘you know what? I don’t look like I did in high school or Duke. I’ve put on a few pounds. This is what I have to do to get it off.’ And get to that next level.”

Zion Williamson has reportedly gained weight during the off-season and has crossed the 330-pound mark. Since these reports came out, Zion has been subjected to a lot of trolling on social media. Despite just 21, he has already got an All-Star appearance in his bag. But he hasn’t played a game since May 2021.

ALSO READ- Charles Barkley Gets Brutal With “Overweight” Zion Williamson: “They Giving Away Money to Bums Who Can’t Play. You Have a Chance to Become the Best Player in the NBA”

Zion was expected to start for the Pelicans this season but has been out due to injuries. He was cleared to resume basketball activities on November 26th, but he is yet to play a game this season.