Zion Williamson Responds To Latest Wave Of Weight Criticism After Monster Game

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Zion Williamson was positioned as a generational prospect when he entered the NBA, and while he’s shown flashes of brilliance, he’s been hampered by injuries and faced plenty of criticism stemming from concerns about his weight and conditioning. Now, he’s responded to the latest wave of detractors targeting him over those issues.

Last week, Charles Barkley deployed the words “fat and lazy” while criticizing Zion Williamson for not living up to expectations, stating there’s no reason the former first overall pick in the NBA Draft shouldn’t be the best player currently on the Pelicans roster (a sentiment Shaquille O’Neal seemed to agree with).

While it wasn’t the most flattering critique, it was downright polite compared to what Stephen A. Smith has been saying about the big man, as the talking head recently asserted Williamson is “addicted to food” while quoting chefs in New Orleans who hyperbolically claim he’ll “eat the table” when he sits down for a meal to drive his point home.

This is far from the first time Williamson has had to deal with this type of backlash, and while there’s no telling if he’s using it as motivation, he nonetheless went off when the Pelicans faced off against the Timberwolves on Monday night in a contest where he scored 36 points while helping his team take home the 121-107 victory.

During a postgame press conference, Williamson got the chance to respond to a reporter who asked him about Barkley’s aforementioned comments.

He gave a relatively reserved answer, saying:

“If it comes from a great place and a place where they just want to see me do better: thank you. But if it comes from anywhere else, everybody’s entitled to their own opinion.” 

At this point, Williamson’s best bet is to let his performance speak for itself, and if he continues to produce like he did on Monday on a consistent basis, it’ll be much, much harder to criticize him.