The biggest talking head of the NBA finally lauds Zion Williamson! Not long ago, Pelicans fans accused Stephen A. Smith of body shaming the 24-year-old on air. The times have changed. ESPN’s veteran analyst picked up the mic and assessed Williamson’s weight loss buzz. The latest update not only left Smith impressed with the transformation but also persuaded him to warn the Western Conference about the rising superstar.

The New Orleans Pelicans star has taken over the internet for the last few days with his transformation image. The star seemingly has cut off some weight from his body. Around the same time, an update from Ian Casselberry of Yahoo Sports revealed that Zion brought down 25 lbs during his off-season. The update also revealed that the star, currently weighing 281 lbs, is determined to reach 272 lbs before the 2024-24 season.

Addressing all these updates, Stephen A. Smith had something interesting to say, “I’m just looking at Zion right now and I think about the Pelicans and if this brother is on the basketball court, it’s a different animal.” Following that, Smith casually segued into Zion Williamson’s last game where the Pels fell short against the LA Lakers in the Play-in tournament. Looking into the game, the Lakers almost had curtains (106-110) if not for Zion’s (40 pts, 11 rbs) late injury.

Speaking of it, Smith said, “When he’s on the basketball court ladies and gentlemen, this is a superstar in the making… He’s box office and he’s a Manchild incredibly powerful.” Moreover, the vet didn’t stop at that. Smith went on to list the powerhouses of the Western Conference, namely, Mavericks, OKC Thunder, Wolves, Nuggets, Suns, Sac Town, and Clippers, and said, “You can look at all of these teams somebody going home if Zion Williamson is 100% And he playing in the playoff.”

Zion Williamson and his weight loss saga

The superstar from Duke sprung into popularity after receiving the #1 pick honor in the 2019 NBA Draft. However, Williamson couldn’t sustain it for long as he only played 24 games in the rookie season due to an injury. Moreover, the star didn’t seem to have bettered himself in the following seasons, as he continued to miss the majority of games with injuries. Notably, in the first three seasons, the star managed to play only 114 games while missing 100 games.

Many analysts, including Stephen A. Smith, slammed the rising superstar over his fitness. Notably, Smith made a controversial body-shaming comment, saying, “Zion Williamson, it’s not about his game. It’s about how many burgers he’s eating.” However, ahead of the 2023-24 season, Williamson opened up about his weight-loss journey for the first time amid the callouts. Appearing on Gil’s Arenas podcast, he said, “I respect brutal honesty… If you are honest with me, I know what to do to fix it.” 

Ultimately, Zion went on to make a career-high appearance of 70 games and averaged 22.9 pts in the process. Now that the rising superstar has already achieved his best fitness so far, the NBA world is in for a treat in the upcoming season. How many games do you think Williamson would play in the 2024-25 season? Let us know in the comments.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.