When healthy, Zion Williamson has proven to be a once-in-a-lifetime kind of a player, a young man that can make grown men look like high school kids, and the only person who could turn the New Orleans Pelicans around.
The only problem is that he's rarely been healthy, and the way he takes care of his body is far from encouraging.
Williamson's weight was already a concern long before he entered the league and those red flags only continue to get bigger as the years go by.
That's why Charles Barkley, who also struggled with his weight during his playing days, didn't hesitate to share a piece of advice for the former first overall pick.
Of course, faithful to his nature, Chuck didn't exactly mince his words when sharing his thoughts on the situation:
"Imma [sic] put Zion on that diet I was on… If it tastes good, spit it out!" Barkley said.
This isn't the first time that Barkley reaches out to Williamson to try and make him start taking care of his body.
Shaquille O'Neal wasn't as mean as Barkley when assessing the situation.
The Big Diesel - who knows what it's like to carry a little extra weight - got real and urged him to take a deep look in the mirror and do something about his body:
“I totally understand what you guys are saying about veterans and the people around him. But at some point, he’s gonna have to say what do I wanna be known as,” Shaq started. “‘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.”
Former NBA player Kenny Smith also shared his insights on Williamson, claiming that it's not that hard to turn his career around if he makes an effort:
“The easiest part is, he’ll figure out how to eat less. It’s not hard, when it’s your profession," Smith said, as quoted by Bolavip. "He puts the hours in to be a great basketball player. He’ll figure out those hours that he needs to keep his body right. It’s the same thing. It’s the same commitment. It’s not hard. Just eat less. It’s not hard at all for a guy who has that kind of discipline to be that great a player."
Williamson recently talked about how difficult the rehab process has been for him, thanking the Pelicans for standing by him despite barely being able to play in the first passage of his career:
“As you can imagine, this has been a very difficult process for me,” Williamson told the Pelicans website. “I know there’s work to be done in my recovery before I can safely return to the court, but I will continue to put in the time necessary so I can get back on the floor with my team and represent Pelicans fans and the city of New Orleans at the highest level."
Hopefully, he'll be back to full strength soon, as the game is always better when the best players are on the court.
