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Charles Barkley Warns Zion Williamson That He Could Be Out Of The NBA If He Doesn't Get In
Posted on 5/25/23 at 2:41 pm
Posted on 5/25/23 at 2:41 pm
LINK
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has endured ample criticism for his injury-riddled run in the NBA, some of which were attributed to his weight. This saw some advice coming from a former star, Charles Barkley.
Speaking on NBA's Sirius XM, "You see what’s going on down in New Orleans with Zion. I wish Zion had a vet on the team or a coach who could say, ‘Yo, man, you gotta get in shape. You can’t play basketball at your weight.“
In addition to urging Williamson to get a mentor, the former Philadelphia 76ers star relived the time he had weight issues and credited Moses Malone for helping him make a turnaround.
“I was so blessed and fortunate that Moses (Malone) told me, ‘Chuck, son, you fat and you lazy.’” He added, “And I did what any grown man would do, I went to my condo and cried like a little woman … and then Moses said, ‘If you want to get in shape, I’ll help you get in shape.’ And he helped me lose 50 pounds.”
He further added that Williamson had unbridled potential and his eating habits seeing a tweak could work in his favor. “I wish I could sit down with Zion and say, ‘Yo, man, you got so much talent, but you gon’ have to lose some weight and get in shape because unless you get in shape, you can’t play basketball.'"
There's no doubt that Willaimson has someone who cares, and Barkley, usually unabashed with his opinions, showed that he really cared.
The Pelicans forward played only 29 games in the 2022-23 season averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists — and while New Orleans started off on a solid note, injuries to Williamson and Brandon Ingram subsequently derailed their campaign as they failed to make the playoffs.
Pelicans GM Urges Zion Williamson To Be Better After Dismal 2022-23 Season
The Pelicans' run would have surely been better if Williamson had been healthy. And it didn't help that his admission that he wasn't at his 100% came in the aftermath of the team losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the play-in tournament.
Following this, GM David Griffin had some stern words to say. “I think a big part is on him,” Griffin said, as per NOLA. “I think there is a lot he can do better. And he would, I think, tell you that. I think we need to do a better job examining the whole situation top to bottom a little bit better.”
At 22, one would expect Williamson to be athletic, explosive, and skilled — all of which he is considering his size. But then, if he doesn't figure out a way to keep himself fit and healthy, he would squander the god-given talent he's bestowed with.
I hope he wakes up soon before it's too late. If he was in a market like L.A. or New York they would have destroyed him by now.
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has endured ample criticism for his injury-riddled run in the NBA, some of which were attributed to his weight. This saw some advice coming from a former star, Charles Barkley.
Speaking on NBA's Sirius XM, "You see what’s going on down in New Orleans with Zion. I wish Zion had a vet on the team or a coach who could say, ‘Yo, man, you gotta get in shape. You can’t play basketball at your weight.“
In addition to urging Williamson to get a mentor, the former Philadelphia 76ers star relived the time he had weight issues and credited Moses Malone for helping him make a turnaround.
“I was so blessed and fortunate that Moses (Malone) told me, ‘Chuck, son, you fat and you lazy.’” He added, “And I did what any grown man would do, I went to my condo and cried like a little woman … and then Moses said, ‘If you want to get in shape, I’ll help you get in shape.’ And he helped me lose 50 pounds.”
He further added that Williamson had unbridled potential and his eating habits seeing a tweak could work in his favor. “I wish I could sit down with Zion and say, ‘Yo, man, you got so much talent, but you gon’ have to lose some weight and get in shape because unless you get in shape, you can’t play basketball.'"
There's no doubt that Willaimson has someone who cares, and Barkley, usually unabashed with his opinions, showed that he really cared.
The Pelicans forward played only 29 games in the 2022-23 season averaging 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists — and while New Orleans started off on a solid note, injuries to Williamson and Brandon Ingram subsequently derailed their campaign as they failed to make the playoffs.
Pelicans GM Urges Zion Williamson To Be Better After Dismal 2022-23 Season
The Pelicans' run would have surely been better if Williamson had been healthy. And it didn't help that his admission that he wasn't at his 100% came in the aftermath of the team losing to the Oklahoma City Thunder during the play-in tournament.
Following this, GM David Griffin had some stern words to say. “I think a big part is on him,” Griffin said, as per NOLA. “I think there is a lot he can do better. And he would, I think, tell you that. I think we need to do a better job examining the whole situation top to bottom a little bit better.”
At 22, one would expect Williamson to be athletic, explosive, and skilled — all of which he is considering his size. But then, if he doesn't figure out a way to keep himself fit and healthy, he would squander the god-given talent he's bestowed with.
I hope he wakes up soon before it's too late. If he was in a market like L.A. or New York they would have destroyed him by now.
9
Posted on 5/25/23 at 2:59 pm to hellsu
Would be nice if he reached out to Barkley to show that he "gets it." Not sure if Barkley is the best to help him get in shape, but may be one who could get him to have that "come to Jesus" moment and turn the light bulb on.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 3:32 pm to hellsu
Unfortunately, Charles has given essentially this same advice across various platforms and interviews roughly 15 times over the past 4 years.
It doesn’t seem like it’s worked or that Zion has ever reached out to him, otherwise he wouldn’t say this exact same thing about 4-5 times a year.
It doesn’t seem like it’s worked or that Zion has ever reached out to him, otherwise he wouldn’t say this exact same thing about 4-5 times a year.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 3:39 pm to 3PieceSpicy
quote:Saying something in an interview is not the same as sitting down with someone directly and discussing/mentoring. One is a media piece, the other is personal.
Unfortunately, Charles has given essentially this same advice across various platforms and interviews roughly 15 times over the past 4 years.
It doesn’t seem like it’s worked or that Zion has ever reached out to him, otherwise he wouldn’t say this exact same thing about 4-5 times a year.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 4:00 pm to hellsu
Can’t we just give him the Ozempic shot? I’m only half kidding.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 4:20 pm to hellsu
quote:Gen X: "Those words made me cry. But, you're right. Now, I want really to get in shape so I never hear that criticism again. I do want to play basketball at a high level for a long time, just like you've done. Thanks for offering to teach me how to become great. Please show me. I'll do whatever it takes."
Moses Malone told me, "Chuck, son, you fat and you lazy.”
quote:Gen Z: "Ok, Boomer. Then how'd I get a $231M contract? Words are violence. You are fat-shaming & sleep-shaming me. That's sizeism. And just because I don't do what you want me to do is you're problem. You have control issues."
Charles Barkley told me, "Zion, son, you fat and you lazy.”
Posted on 5/25/23 at 4:37 pm to LSUFreek
Why did you skip millennials? I'm triggered
Posted on 5/25/23 at 4:49 pm to LSUFreek
Middle aged white guys on the internet: young people are bad
Posted on 5/25/23 at 5:23 pm to LouisianaJoseph
quote:
Middle aged white guys on the internet: young people are bad
So, you read the Gen Z quote and characterized it as "bad". Then you call out the middle-aged guy for pointing it out the generational pussification but don't call yourself out for agreeing with the assessment. Typical.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 6:26 pm to NOSHAU
I get that, but every time he’s asked about Zion, he says the same thing.
If he had any interaction with Zion’s camp the last 4 years and/or if the weight wasn’t still an issue, I don’t feel like he’d continue to repeat himself. The messaging would be different.
I truly don’t think Zion has ever spoken to Barkley privately. I’m sure he’s heard his comments at times though. It’s probably hard not to. I think a big part of Zion going to Portland and going zero dark 30 was due to the TNT segment where Charles said Zion looked like if he and Shaq had a baby.
That’s not a comment you would say about someone if you were truly mentoring them behind the scenes.
Chuck doesn’t know Zion, doesn’t know what to say, so he simply falls back on his personal story w Moses Malone that he’s now repeated ad nauseam for 4 years.
If he had any interaction with Zion’s camp the last 4 years and/or if the weight wasn’t still an issue, I don’t feel like he’d continue to repeat himself. The messaging would be different.
I truly don’t think Zion has ever spoken to Barkley privately. I’m sure he’s heard his comments at times though. It’s probably hard not to. I think a big part of Zion going to Portland and going zero dark 30 was due to the TNT segment where Charles said Zion looked like if he and Shaq had a baby.
That’s not a comment you would say about someone if you were truly mentoring them behind the scenes.
Chuck doesn’t know Zion, doesn’t know what to say, so he simply falls back on his personal story w Moses Malone that he’s now repeated ad nauseam for 4 years.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 7:46 pm to NOSHAU
From a basketball standpoint Charles practiced what he preached. He legitimately changed his body from his rookie year forward. He looked like a completely different player and stayed that way throughout his career.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 7:54 pm to 3PieceSpicy
Sad this is still and will always be a topic of discussion. Zion is a mother fricking cartoon watching, Dorito eating, FAT LAZY arse fricking bum.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 7:57 pm to Sofaking2
To be fair, the issue isn't that Zion is "fat and lazy," at least not all of the time. The issue is that even when he's "in shape," as he was in January when he pulled his hamstring, he's still just too big.
He just has too much mass to play an NBA season with the way he runs and jumps.
He doesn't just need to be "in shape." He needs to be lighter, period. If that mean dropping 15-20 pounds of muscle weight in addition to getting his body fat % down, then it's worth the trade off. Lay off the weights. Up the cardio and the core work. As Tom Brady says, get pliable.
I think that exact message has been delivered by the team to Zion and his camp and they have rejected it. They, so far, aren't interested in a smaller, svelter version of Zion. To some extent, mass is his brand...
He just has too much mass to play an NBA season with the way he runs and jumps.
He doesn't just need to be "in shape." He needs to be lighter, period. If that mean dropping 15-20 pounds of muscle weight in addition to getting his body fat % down, then it's worth the trade off. Lay off the weights. Up the cardio and the core work. As Tom Brady says, get pliable.
I think that exact message has been delivered by the team to Zion and his camp and they have rejected it. They, so far, aren't interested in a smaller, svelter version of Zion. To some extent, mass is his brand...
Posted on 5/25/23 at 8:15 pm to New City Champ
Exactly ??
Posted on 5/25/23 at 9:12 pm to LSUFreek
I wasn't aware that I agreed with you. Interesting.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 9:16 pm to hellsu
Unfortunately for Zion his biggest issues are in his head. If you are that size body and bone structure and training like an elite level athlete it would take an enormous amount of calories to maintain his size. He has access to cutting edge nutritional assistance to get him to a weight and BF% that would minimize his exposure to injury. Realistically if they have to follow him around and monitor him day in day out this is a lost cause. It's sad to say he has to want it bad enough. Barkley was motivated enough. This is so disappointing.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 9:21 pm to hellsu
Zion probably made more than Barkley has his entire career. I think it’s no coincidence that some of these athletes aren’t what they used to be because everything is handed to them. They never have to take it so they dont
Posted on 5/25/23 at 9:43 pm to hellsu
quote:
“I was so blessed and fortunate that Moses (Malone) told me, ‘Chuck, son, you fat and you lazy.’”
During his first four seasons, Chuck played:
82 games
80 games
68 games
80 games
and was really good. This “intervention” meant he went from very good to one of the best ever.
Zion doesn’t need to someone to help him go from very good to great. Zion needs someone to get him to buy into being a professional.
Posted on 5/25/23 at 9:58 pm to hellsu
At this point I think Zion has an eating disorder and pressure might be weighing on him (no pun intended). He clearly is an introverted guy. Kind of a hard situation here. He’s a good kid too. The opposite of jaGun MORONant. I hope he figures it out and has some inner circle people steering him in the right direction.
I also could be wrong and he’s just injury prone and doesnt have the body type to stay slim. Idk
I also could be wrong and he’s just injury prone and doesnt have the body type to stay slim. Idk
This post was edited on 5/25/23 at 10:00 pm
Posted on 5/25/23 at 11:38 pm to New City Champ
quote:Not sure the hamstring was about his weight. He had gotten into very good shape and looked good. CJ hinted that a lot of the younger guys do not do the proper stretching before the games and that may be the issue. If that is the case, not sure where are trainers are with that. It would seem that should not be a huge issue to get the players to stretch properly.
To be fair, the issue isn't that Zion is "fat and lazy," at least not all of the time. The issue is that even when he's "in shape," as he was in January when he pulled his hamstring, he's still just too big.
He just has too much mass to play an NBA season with the way he runs and jumps.
He doesn't just need to be "in shape." He needs to be lighter, period. If that mean dropping 15-20 pounds of muscle weight in addition to getting his body fat % down, then it's worth the trade off. Lay off the weights. Up the cardio and the core work. As Tom Brady says, get pliable.
I think that exact message has been delivered by the team to Zion and his camp and they have rejected it. They, so far, aren't interested in a smaller, svelter version of Zion. To some extent, mass is his brand...
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