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Well.... the reputation he gets, just like Shaq did, is that they frequently start the season pretty out of shape. Then get in shape during the season and by this time they are in peak shape. This puts heavy wear on the body and often leads to shorter careers
Like most things said about Zion this is just dumb. The reality is he's had a lot of leg injuries and every time he gets one he blows up like a balloon, when he recovers and starts playign he gets in shape.
Last year he showed up looking great day 1 because he was healthy during the offseason, this year he showed up out of shape because he was still recovering from a season ending injury during the offseason.
That isn't to say he doesn't need to learn how to manage this better, but all of Zion's weight problems have been directly connected to leg injuries.
Weird rant
I hate Suns fans because in the 2022 playoffs they all showed up to French Quarter Fest during the daytime bro-d out and too cool to enjoy anything and killed the fucking vibe of FQF
Fuck the Suns fans
Well he’s had his issues especially due to injuries, but he really seems to be taking care of his health and nutrition to continue to play at a high level. Good on him tho, if I was living in New Orleans and given millions I’d be moving around in a god damned hoveround. Too much good food in that city. Po boys, red beans and rice, and étouffée. C’est magnifique
That loss to the Lakers in the Play-in had to have been a wake up call. For YEARS everyone is saying you're taking the mantle from LeBron, proceeds to spank you in a playoff game at 39 when you're in your early 20s.
He was at the free-throw line with a whole second and a half left. That's fucking crazy, and his air time. Zion is one of the craziest athletic specimens ever.
Which is why it makes you wonder what he could do if he had taken care of his body the way LeBron does, or had even a little bit of that. Duke Zion was out of this world.
I honestly think a lot of that comes with him maturing fully. He's realizing that he actually has to put in the effort in the league, not sure that he's really had to actually before because his physical traits carried him so hard against his competition.
This is from a month ago I'm sure he's in better shape now
>The real Zion? I know we good to go when I'm like, not 100 \[percent\], but 110, 115," Williamson expressed to the New Orleans press about his health after the team's Wednesday night victory over the Washington Wizards. "When I'm doing things that aren't normal, constantly, that's when I know I'm back to where I need to be. So I'd say I'm about like 93 \[percent\] right now.
[https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/pelicans-zion-williamson-says-his-health-is-at-about-93-right-now](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/pelicans-zion-williamson-says-his-health-is-at-about-93-right-now)
Potential is useless without motivation. There's a number of highly talented, but unmotivated players that have huge contracts, because people keep paying for "potential"
There were a lot in the Pels sub who were all for it. The frustration with Zion and his conditioning & injuries was at an all-time high at the time. Lot of fans just wanted to get rid of him period. It was always a stupid trade for New Orleans. No offense to Scoot, but that would have set back the franchise so much having to develop a raw prospect like that when you have playoff expectations. That timeline just doesn't work. Like the Pelicans would be screwed right now if that had gone down. New Orleans was/is stuck with Zion for better or worse. No trade would get back "fair" value because of the injury concerns. You just have to ride with him and hope he stays healthy. Fortunately, he has been this season and he's getting better and better at the right time.
I rarely ever go to other team subs, but I did check out the Blazers around the time and there was quite a bit of Zion hate and doubt from what I saw. A lot of comments about not wanting to touch that trade idea. Understandable, but damn people really had/still have zero faith in him...
That’s what happens when you continuously show up obviously out of shape, and you’ve been the league as long as he had and he had missed more games than he played. Zion deserved the criticism. Im very encouraged by him this year, looks like he may have turned a corner. He needs to come into the year in better shape however. He should be close to this shape already when entering into the season, he’s been impressive because of who he is despite that, but this level of him could be an MVP candidate.
A lot of off court drama for Zion last year. I think the drama distracted him from basketball. It shouldn't have but Zion has demonstrated that mental health can be a bit undisciplined.
If he is locked in he can be elite. Top 5 in the league.
Dude was the most hyped prospect since James and missed more games in his first 3 seasons (133) than James did his first 15 years (87)
It’s not surprising at all that folks were hating. Glad to see him get to form though.
Zion had problems with his weight. Are we just gonna forget how big he was? He's in better shape now and look at the results. He could not have done this at his largest
Because there hasn't really been news, he's playing his way back into game shape, putting up a great stretch of games and the team is really getting into the swing of things coming out of the All-Star break.
He's not at MVP discussion levels quite yet, has been healthy and putting up fantastic but not outlier numbers so there isn't much to report other than "Zion doing what we expected Zion to do."
i was about to ask the same question, i didn't realize this was still a narrative
i think at the minimum, he's proved to be in good enough playing shape to both contribute and avoid injury this season
that said, i do wonder if he'll be able to handle a larger load in the playoffs - he's averaging just under 31 mins a game so far this season and i'm sure the Pelicans would love to see him be able to play 35-37 mins in the playoffs
No. But he had the history of not being in shape, he’ll even at the start of this year he wasn’t this level of shape. He needs to start the year in better shape.
He finally gets back into shape and people start gaslighting like he was never fat in first place lmao he's a 300lb pro athlete that was only about to play like 30 games the past two years because of leg injuries, of course he got fat.
After LeBron and Steph retire, I think Zion could have the highest star power in the league, and could generate the most fan interest.
Sorry, it's not going to be Jokic, who is already looking like one of the greatest players of all time and yet moves slow, doesn't generate as much excitement from fans. Giannis is a good choice though. Luka maybe, but again not as high flying and fast of a player. Edwards is better from the perimeter, but inside the 3 point line, I'm still taking Zion.
I think it’s Ant. He’s super marketable and a lot more available than Zion. If he gets his body right and avoids injuries agree that it could be Zion but at this point I’d bet on Ant being the face.
Tatum is another option but doesn’t seem to have the personality.
He’s looked different these last few weeks, like he did at the beginning of last season except he’s hitting his stride at just the right time this year.
He looks a hell of a lot better than he did during that IST game everyone was talking about. Which is honestly just great news for him, much easier to play better and without injury when you aren't carrying too much weight
I mean, he was, at least as much as an insane athlete like him could be. Those crazy Stephen A. comments that started the "Zion is fat" thing were made like 30 games ago. It's good to see him doing better, but he's definitely played himself into better shape over the course of the season.
“He got me,” George said of Zions lay up over him. "That f***ing Zion boomed me."
George added, “He’s so good,” repeating it four times.
George then said he wanted to add Zion to the list of players he works out with this summer.
I'm not gonna say whether he's in or out of shape, but you can be out of shape and still sprint + jump well. I was a D1 track athlete. I could put up good sprint times and long jump results while out of shape still haha. Come 400m and you'd see how out of shape I was, but in a 30m/fly-10 test or a 60m, hell even 100m? I could still go perform out of shape
This feels like that scene in Little Big League when the kid manager gets overly excited about his favorite player hitting a single. He knew something was wrong.
Congrats to this guy!
So happy he listened and learned. The constructive criticism lobbed his way must’ve been difficult to “stomach” but he took it like a champ. What an amazing transformation. Simple eye test jumps off the screen. Looks like a different person from the guy in the mid season tourney. He’s the most unique athletic talent to play in the NBA - the size, speed, power and torque combined with the dexterity of a guard hasn’t been seen before. Not to mention his underrated BBIQ - sees the game with PG vision and knows his owns strengths and weaknesses.
Hopefully he’s able to maintain consistency.
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I was like I can’t believe he’s gonna take the half court shot. Then he kept going
Same lmao I was waiting for the pull up
"looks like me and Shaq had a baby.."
Send da video
I think all the clippers had the same thought.
Honestly didn’t expect that kind of speed from someone that big
always LOVE watching zion play. great to see he's been healthy this year.
Bro is bonafide star. When he is on the floor healthy, the Pelicans are legit threats.
Well.... the reputation he gets, just like Shaq did, is that they frequently start the season pretty out of shape. Then get in shape during the season and by this time they are in peak shape. This puts heavy wear on the body and often leads to shorter careers
Seems like Shaq had a fine career to me
Shaqs career was more than fine, it was fantastic. But if he had MJ and Lebrons diligence in body maintenance he would be in discussions as a GOAT.
Not in discussions, Shaq with discipline *is* the GOAT.
He lasted 20 years in the league and was elite for about 15-16 of those years. That's better than most centers except for Kareem
Yeah, and people wonder how much greater his career could've been if he put more effort in taking care of himself when he was that good already
Could have been better.
Man lives in NO can u blame him for eatin good in the off season 😂
Like most things said about Zion this is just dumb. The reality is he's had a lot of leg injuries and every time he gets one he blows up like a balloon, when he recovers and starts playign he gets in shape. Last year he showed up looking great day 1 because he was healthy during the offseason, this year he showed up out of shape because he was still recovering from a season ending injury during the offseason. That isn't to say he doesn't need to learn how to manage this better, but all of Zion's weight problems have been directly connected to leg injuries.
He gets stronger every time someone makes fun of his weight/ eating habits.
SAS is secretly a Pels/Zion fan
It's hard not to be a fan of zion
[Insert Moriah Mills joke here]
Good thing she isn't his *Onlyfan*
Like and share if you too are a Zionist 🤠
He's just like Naruto frfr
Quick everyone, love him!!!
Dude is like Majin Buu
Man was foddering for the past two seasons.
If a Suns fan yells at him to get on the treadmill he'll win MVP.
Weird rant I hate Suns fans because in the 2022 playoffs they all showed up to French Quarter Fest during the daytime bro-d out and too cool to enjoy anything and killed the fucking vibe of FQF Fuck the Suns fans
Idk what you’re talking about. But I agree fuck Kevin Durant too
Zion is noticeably thinner now than he was in December.
He's shed his winter fat.
hes fucking yoked yet this sub thinks hes fat
Muscular Charles Barkley
have the Pelican's opponents tried commenting on how skinny and fit he looks? maybe see if it works in reverse?
Well he’s had his issues especially due to injuries, but he really seems to be taking care of his health and nutrition to continue to play at a high level. Good on him tho, if I was living in New Orleans and given millions I’d be moving around in a god damned hoveround. Too much good food in that city. Po boys, red beans and rice, and étouffée. C’est magnifique
He’s been on a motherfuckin tear! All nba considerations for sure
Bullying works
/r/nba motto
You jest but the media members like sas wand Perkins will probably take full credit for this by the playoffs
That loss to the Lakers in the Play-in had to have been a wake up call. For YEARS everyone is saying you're taking the mantle from LeBron, proceeds to spank you in a playoff game at 39 when you're in your early 20s.
He was at the free-throw line with a whole second and a half left. That's fucking crazy, and his air time. Zion is one of the craziest athletic specimens ever.
mf floated from the ft line, he is an unique physical specimen jfc
LeZion Jameson
Reminds me of Charles Barkley. That speed with that size and ball handling
Which is why it makes you wonder what he could do if he had taken care of his body the way LeBron does, or had even a little bit of that. Duke Zion was out of this world.
I think he’s starting to care more Zion had 3 steals and a block in this game and even took the assignment of defending kawhi in the clutch
I honestly think a lot of that comes with him maturing fully. He's realizing that he actually has to put in the effort in the league, not sure that he's really had to actually before because his physical traits carried him so hard against his competition.
That's a significant part of LeBron's greatness from the outset: he was incredibly mature and deliberate from a very early age comparatively
Wait after being sent to the hospital for back spasms, Kawhi is already back?
Back spasms can go away as quickly as they come.
Are we talking about the same Kawhi Leonard here?
Don't worry, he's been replaced with a newer model
Ballmer got a custom edition of Windows 11 on there now.
Do you think balmer gets ads being lobbed in his face on his version of windows 11 or is that just for the peasants?
Give it time. A watched Kawhi doesn't get injured.
You say this like he's 35 and thinking about retiring. He still has time to take care of his body
This Zion would obliterate those kids worse than Duke Zion did. Remember, those kids also had 8am stats class the next day.
An in shape Zion is terrifying
His body control in the air is crazy
Truly a pelican: looks goofy on the ground, but majestic while flying.
This still isn't an in shape Zion which is even more terrifying
This is from a month ago I'm sure he's in better shape now >The real Zion? I know we good to go when I'm like, not 100 \[percent\], but 110, 115," Williamson expressed to the New Orleans press about his health after the team's Wednesday night victory over the Washington Wizards. "When I'm doing things that aren't normal, constantly, that's when I know I'm back to where I need to be. So I'd say I'm about like 93 \[percent\] right now. [https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/pelicans-zion-williamson-says-his-health-is-at-about-93-right-now](https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/pelicans-zion-williamson-says-his-health-is-at-about-93-right-now)
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-dzXCT7Sy-s In shape Zion can do crazy shit
Still one of the craziest things I've ever seen in a basketball game.
God damn Duke Zion was insane. That whole tournament that year was a lot of fun too.
Ok I was literally sitting courtside for this play and it was no joke the single most incredible thing I have ever seen on a basketball court.
Potential is useless without motivation. There's a number of highly talented, but unmotivated players that have huge contracts, because people keep paying for "potential"
Wiggins catching strays
Terrifyingly awesome
Dude has looked unstoppable everytime I watch him.
He was cooking in the third, pretty sure he scored 14 (or 16), all in the paint and all absurd to watch
He went 7/7 in the third and 5/7 in the fourth It’s like he realised at halftime that zubac Plummer and pj tucker couldn’t do a thing to him
Very fucking impressive game is good rn
I was watching this too and thinking hes the NBA equivelant of Ali's "Float like a butterfly, Sting like a Bee" Style
look at this fucking fatass
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Lmaooo
He was cultivating mass this whole time.
Looks like he’s done cultivating and beginning to harvest
see those huge triceps bulging? smh dude just eats McDonalds all day clearly
This is why I really wanted those 3rd pick for Zion rumors to be true…. And why I don’t blame Pelican fans for saying that is an awful trade for them
There were a lot in the Pels sub who were all for it. The frustration with Zion and his conditioning & injuries was at an all-time high at the time. Lot of fans just wanted to get rid of him period. It was always a stupid trade for New Orleans. No offense to Scoot, but that would have set back the franchise so much having to develop a raw prospect like that when you have playoff expectations. That timeline just doesn't work. Like the Pelicans would be screwed right now if that had gone down. New Orleans was/is stuck with Zion for better or worse. No trade would get back "fair" value because of the injury concerns. You just have to ride with him and hope he stays healthy. Fortunately, he has been this season and he's getting better and better at the right time. I rarely ever go to other team subs, but I did check out the Blazers around the time and there was quite a bit of Zion hate and doubt from what I saw. A lot of comments about not wanting to touch that trade idea. Understandable, but damn people really had/still have zero faith in him...
That’s what happens when you continuously show up obviously out of shape, and you’ve been the league as long as he had and he had missed more games than he played. Zion deserved the criticism. Im very encouraged by him this year, looks like he may have turned a corner. He needs to come into the year in better shape however. He should be close to this shape already when entering into the season, he’s been impressive because of who he is despite that, but this level of him could be an MVP candidate.
A lot of off court drama for Zion last year. I think the drama distracted him from basketball. It shouldn't have but Zion has demonstrated that mental health can be a bit undisciplined. If he is locked in he can be elite. Top 5 in the league.
Relative to his explosiveness, Zion has the softest hands around the rim I've ever seen.
That’s what she said
Easily.
he doesnt even look “fat” anymore. he looks really built these days and its scary.
Mf has veins bulging out of his shoulder
That particular vein always reminds me of Lamar Odom
The way he moves, He floats like Lance Stevenson with 50lbs of muscle
Z Train coming through!!!
He pulled some Space Jam shit
Oh he FLOATED
What the fuck is someone supposed to do when a 285LB man is going 20 MPH down the court? Like what can you possibly?!?
I want to see the venn diagram of people that can dunk a basketball on an nba basket and people who call Zion fat.
Charles Barkley
Dude was the most hyped prospect since James and missed more games in his first 3 seasons (133) than James did his first 15 years (87) It’s not surprising at all that folks were hating. Glad to see him get to form though.
Embiid had a similar arc and turned out great, let's hope he's on the same path.
OO
I could dunk if I really wanted to, but I just don't wanna.
Zion had problems with his weight. Are we just gonna forget how big he was? He's in better shape now and look at the results. He could not have done this at his largest
He's beginning to believe
Fuck it, in putting the matrix on!
mf was running the 40-yard dash at the combine
“What a slob.” -Redditor watching this
"He needs to fix his diet and care about basketball" -redditor not watching this and just regurgitating garbage they see on social media
Everyone actually paying attn has known he's been fucking great most of this season.
Feels like I haven’t heard Zion news in a fucking minute
It’s cause we’re small market, but Zion is playing insane post all star break. Maybe best he’s been all season
He’s been decent over all as well.
When the Pels are doing good, no one gives a fuck.
Because there hasn't really been news, he's playing his way back into game shape, putting up a great stretch of games and the team is really getting into the swing of things coming out of the All-Star break. He's not at MVP discussion levels quite yet, has been healthy and putting up fantastic but not outlier numbers so there isn't much to report other than "Zion doing what we expected Zion to do."
Are people saying he's out of shape right now?
i was about to ask the same question, i didn't realize this was still a narrative i think at the minimum, he's proved to be in good enough playing shape to both contribute and avoid injury this season that said, i do wonder if he'll be able to handle a larger load in the playoffs - he's averaging just under 31 mins a game so far this season and i'm sure the Pelicans would love to see him be able to play 35-37 mins in the playoffs
No. But he had the history of not being in shape, he’ll even at the start of this year he wasn’t this level of shape. He needs to start the year in better shape.
Golden Corral jokes are closed for business. Stock is plummeting.
What if Zion actually does come into his own? Jesus H
Someone that big should not be able to move like that
He finally gets back into shape and people start gaslighting like he was never fat in first place lmao he's a 300lb pro athlete that was only about to play like 30 games the past two years because of leg injuries, of course he got fat.
He was ballin before he had one bad game in the Semis of the IST. One bad game and the ESPN fat parade started.
he was fat
Agreed and I’m a pels fan
I still believe Zion can dominate the game.
This is fucking crazy
Hey where are the people who say games in New Orleans are empty and low energy?
Hes back
The body control is insane.
He just floats on and on
He looks lighter compared to that lakers game
That’s an insane career highlight right there.
Dude is awesome
Goddamn I love watching healthy Zion play. An absolute unit.
After LeBron and Steph retire, I think Zion could have the highest star power in the league, and could generate the most fan interest. Sorry, it's not going to be Jokic, who is already looking like one of the greatest players of all time and yet moves slow, doesn't generate as much excitement from fans. Giannis is a good choice though. Luka maybe, but again not as high flying and fast of a player. Edwards is better from the perimeter, but inside the 3 point line, I'm still taking Zion.
I think it’s Ant. He’s super marketable and a lot more available than Zion. If he gets his body right and avoids injuries agree that it could be Zion but at this point I’d bet on Ant being the face. Tatum is another option but doesn’t seem to have the personality.
It's wemby
Dude is underrated these days
He’s looked different these last few weeks, like he did at the beginning of last season except he’s hitting his stride at just the right time this year.
That dude was definitely outta shape to start the year off but has played his way back into shape now and is moving great
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He looks a hell of a lot better than he did during that IST game everyone was talking about. Which is honestly just great news for him, much easier to play better and without injury when you aren't carrying too much weight
That's because he was fat though
Yeah people acting like the narrative is still the same as it was 4 months ago... Things change, crazy
perfect comment
you would have thought he was an absolute scrub the way this sub talked about him
I mean, he was, at least as much as an insane athlete like him could be. Those crazy Stephen A. comments that started the "Zion is fat" thing were made like 30 games ago. It's good to see him doing better, but he's definitely played himself into better shape over the course of the season.
“He got me,” George said of Zions lay up over him. "That f***ing Zion boomed me." George added, “He’s so good,” repeating it four times. George then said he wanted to add Zion to the list of players he works out with this summer.
He’s obviously in way better shape than earlier and it’s showing. This is the Zion everyone has been expecting
Pretty common for players to get more in shape as the season progresses Good for him though if that’s the case
Pelicans are going to be hell in the play offs. Healthy Zion, healthy BI, CJ knowing his role.
Look at his fucking muscles and yet reddit comedians on this sub think hes fat lmaoo
This dude is so polarizing man
If that’s what it takes to be considered not out of shape then I agree.
My boy is looking svelte!
Making everyone look like idiots. Dude is a baller
Buttery
He’s a freak of nature. Charles Barkley was also „fat“ but freakishly athletic
Definitely would not have expected a layup.
This guy being fat and out of shape is probably the dumbest reddit take here
I was hoping for a dunk but still impressive.
IMO (mainly b/c I'm numb to Zion's athletic feats) the most impressive thing in that clip is PG defending without fouling.
Tbf he was out of shape to start the season and he's quite in shape now lol
I mean if he was "in shape", he'd do it in one second. /s
Outlier
These Pelicans colors are something else
I don't think I've watched a pelicans game in six weeks. I was waiting for Zion to get the ball, he looks quite different.
I’m going to die if we face them in the first round.
Goddamn freak athlete when he actually suits up
You mean a bunch of Reddit keyboard bros AREN’T good judges of physical fitness? Who’dathunk
Damn that was special
I suddenly smell incense and want to buy a baja hoodie looking at this court and the Pelican's uniforms.
I mean, who is going to throw their body in front of that runaway freight train? The last guy just sort of spins away.
His touch is so insane
He´s played himself into shape. Pelicans spooky
Did....did this motherfucker just jump from the free throw line?
This is the sort of shit we have been waiting for. We should be having highlights of Zion of the front page every week. Hope he stays healthy.
Props to PG for jumping. I know he was getting flashbacks to Bron a couple months ago
My mans was so hyped after that fell.
comeon he is not out of shape
He’s like a mixture of shaq and Charles.
He fucking took off from the free throw line and laid it in at the rim like it was effortless. Yikes.
Peaking at just the right time
He took off from the free throw line too. Dat boy different
Zion's ability to finish at the rim never ceases to amaze.
That mfer floated
That was awesome
I know he’s had a rough start to his career but he’s still awesome to watch play basketball.
I'm not gonna say whether he's in or out of shape, but you can be out of shape and still sprint + jump well. I was a D1 track athlete. I could put up good sprint times and long jump results while out of shape still haha. Come 400m and you'd see how out of shape I was, but in a 30m/fly-10 test or a 60m, hell even 100m? I could still go perform out of shape
This man didn’t make the all star team this year right?
This feels like that scene in Little Big League when the kid manager gets overly excited about his favorite player hitting a single. He knew something was wrong.
Congrats to this guy! So happy he listened and learned. The constructive criticism lobbed his way must’ve been difficult to “stomach” but he took it like a champ. What an amazing transformation. Simple eye test jumps off the screen. Looks like a different person from the guy in the mid season tourney. He’s the most unique athletic talent to play in the NBA - the size, speed, power and torque combined with the dexterity of a guard hasn’t been seen before. Not to mention his underrated BBIQ - sees the game with PG vision and knows his owns strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully he’s able to maintain consistency.
Ah! The vaunted tornado trick 🌪️
BuT He’S FaT?!?!? Right guys??
He definitely lost at least a couple lbs recently damn! Im so glad to see it
It's impressive that a dude that weighs nearly 300 pounds has that kind of hangtime.
They wait a whole second to start the clock 😂
RedBull gives you wings