Zion Williamson was busy dealing with the Miami Heat for their Friday night game, while his team's social media crew took the opportunity to defend him against Stephen A. Smith for yet another fat-shaming comment.
The New Orleans Pelicans' official X account posted a video featuring a series of clips where Stephen A. Smith failed miserably in sports.
The 27-second clip showed him airballing a three-point shot, missing the spot in a baseball ceremonial pitch, boxing, and then slipping on the floor while trying to dribble.
The ESPN First Take host did not let the Pelicans team one-up him. Immediately, he responded on X, saying he is a fan of several players, the coach, and the city and is not going anywhere.
Smith has always been known for hot takes on sports, but his comments about Zion a few days ago rubbed wrong for so many people.
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"Zion Williamson, it's not about his game. It's about how many burgers he's eating and whether or not he's gonna be in shape. Or is he gonna keep eating McDonald's?" Smith said last week.
"That's what he has to prove-that the chefs don't love him any longer, that he's committed to playing basketball and being in shape."
He made the comments as the Pelicans take a reset for the All-Star break. What he did not mention, though, is that they won eight of their last nine games.
Williamson led the way for them, averaging 24.3 points, 6.1 assists and 4.6 rebounds.
Pelicans' TV analyst Antonio Daniels thought Smith's comments were lazy and that whatever he got with the 2019 first-overall pick was personal.
"Listen man, I am all for objective, fair critiquing of individuals and, collectively, of teams," Daniels said on SiriusXM's NBA Radio.
"I felt what Stephen A. said this morning of Zion was completely inappropriate and lazy. If you have an issue, there's a way to go about addressing that issue."
Not the first time Smith fat-shamed Williamson
This is not the first time that Williamson's weight was used as a topic by Smith. To be fair, it was not just Smith who pointed out the Pelicans star's diet as a hindrance for him to get to the next level.
Smith exaggeratedly said that the 23-year-old would "eat the table" based on information he heard that the chefs in New Orleans were looking for him to be a good customer.
In December 2023, William responded that he couldn't control other people's opinions and was letting the comments go.
"It's been like that since I was 16 years old since I came onto the scene. If I want to be one of the best players in the league, if we don't win in a big moment or if something bad happens, that's to be expected," Williamson said in an interview with The Athletic's Will Guillory.
Williamson did not make the All-Star Game this year, but he continues leading the New Orleans Pelicans, who are fifth in the Western Conference.
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