Zion Williamson, Who Faced Public Humiliation as “Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley’s Baby” for His Weight, Stuns Everyone With Ripped Physique

NBA fans may finally get to see a fit Zion Williamson after all. The former Duke Blue Devil had been criticized by media and fans alike after he put on weight while recovering from an injury. Former NBA players Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley were very critical of how they felt about Zion. Recently, Zion has been posting various pictures of himself on Instagram which show him with a remarkably ripped physique.

In the opening few weeks of last season, Barkley had cracked a joke at Williamson’s expense. He said, “It looks like me and Shaq had a baby”. While it left O’Neal and the whole crew in splits, it was another instance of Zion being called out for his weight. The New Orleans Pelicans forward has had an injury-riddled NBA career so far.

Many of the injuries have been blamed on the excessive weight he had put on since entering the NBA. A lot was expected of Zion before he was even drafted. He had made a name for himself with his tank-like physique and cat-like quickness. But injuries prevented him from ever having a consistent run of games in the league.

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Zion Williamson sat out the whole of last season. He gained a lot of weight and was criticized heavily due to his apparent lack of commitment. Now it looks like Williamson has finally turned the corner. He looks very ripped and lean as compared to last season. It seems he has been working out constantly while showing up to play on courts around the city.

Zion Williamson was considered a once-in-a-generation specimen

Williamson was one of the most talked-about college athletes of all time. He was a man among boys with his physical structure. The New Orleans Pelicans drafted him with the first pick in the 2019 NBA draft. After tearing his lateral meniscus in his right knee during pre-season, he only managed to play 24 games that season.

The next season was much better as he played 61 games and became an All-Star. Zion last played a game on May 4th, 2021 as he sat out the whole of last season. A foot surgery that didn’t heal as soon as it was expected, lead to concerns about his future. He was finally cleared to play but the Pelicans didn’t want to integrate him into the team during the playoffs.

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If Zion can stay in shape and out of injury trouble, then fans might get to see what all the hype was about before he was drafted. He is still very young and can prove to be an instrumental player of his generation. Next season just might be redemption time for Zion Williamson.