The New Orleans Pelicans have been very tight-lipped about how their first round draft pick and future of the company, Zion Williamson seems to be having some rather intense struggles with his weight. About a week ago they were trying to convince the world that the big man was at 280 lbs, which is already extremely heavy for a forward his height and the internet became awash with NBA fans calling bullshit on that "official weight."
It started with a foot injury, which is already a troubling situation to find someone so young in as in most situations for professional athletes this can all but insure that it will be a recurring injury. When we are talking about someone as big as Zion, you have to imagine that he is putting significantly more pressure on his joints below the waist than the average other person in the game.
Consider Lebron James for example, who depending on what stats you look at is around the same height as Zion Williamson and is also a forward. LeBron weighs around 250 lbs and looks to be the perfect size for someone that plays that position. Zion, whose weight is a tightly protected secret was 280 at his prime and now is rumored to be somewhere between 315 to 330 lbs. That is a lot of extra weight to be carrying around and although he is young and full of pep when you are dragging around an extra 65 to 80 lbs, obviously your performance is going to be slower.
The internet didn't waste any time making fun of Zion and forums were filled with photoshopped images and while it might seem a bit cruel to oversensitive people out there, perhaps it will provide some very much needed motivation for Zion to make the changes necessary to get back into shape to earn the millions that he has heading his way if he can pull it off.
This one isn't photoshopped and caused a lot of concern for Pelican fans because he doesn't even look like an athlete but more like a fan who chugs beers and eats nachos in the stands.
At the end of the day, I don't really understand why the New Orleans team would be making up statistics to the press because once we actually see the guy in action, if they have been lying, it will be evident right at the start. According to insiders, Zion is on a strict diet and is working out constantly as well as undergoing physio for his foot injury. The New Orleans fans are growing restless and have become untrusting of their team's management because the only thing they really let fans know is that his proposed return date keeps getting pushed further into the future.
Without him on the court they are doing very poorly with a record of 7-19. As sad as it might be for Pelican fans, if the New Orleans team is smart, they won't bring him back until he is fully healed and just consider this season a throwaway. The main thing that concerns me and other fans is the question of whether or not he will EVER be able to return as someone his size simply might not ever have the mobility necessary to compete again. It could be a massive financial loss for the team, not to mention a really abrupt end to Zion's career as well.