Zion Williamson played in 70 games during the 2023-24 Regular Season, which was the first time in his career he was available for 85% of the games. However, his season came to a grim end after he got injured in the #7 seed Play-in tournament loss against the Los Angeles Lakers. Despite a dreary end to a relatively decent campaign, the Pelicans’ explosive star proved that he is willing to discipline his body for the squad after he shed 25 lbs during the season. Zion has faced constant criticism for his weight since he was drafted in 2019. Charles Barkley has been one of the many guys on television who has persistently criticized Zion Williamson’s weight. However, Barkley recently claimed that his criticism comes from a place of love and admiration.
During a recent appearance on the Club Shay Shay podcast, the former NBA star gave props to Williamson for his weight loss and then explained why the Pelicans Forward must keep focusing on being in shape. “I like Zion a lot. He reminds me of me. He’s more explosive, He’s more athletic, but the sooner he gets in shape, the better he’s gonna be,” Barkley told host Shannon Sharpe.
The former Suns forward also argued that, as someone who has done “dumb sh**” in his youth, he has also gone through intense criticism regarding both his behavior and his weight. Thus, his criticisms stem from “his experiences”, and the 23-year-old shouldn’t take them as insults.
Sir Charles also told Williamson that he should have shed those 25 lbs before the season started, because an athlete must be in their best shape at the beginning of the season. “I don’t know him but I try to tell him on television. I hope he hears and don’t take it as a criticism, cuz he has got like so much talent. And you can’t get in shape during the season, you get in shape during the summer,” Barkley added.
This was one of the numerous times the Chuckster has commented on Williamson’s conditioning. He has repeatedly asked him to lose weight and extract the most athletic version of himself.
Zion Williamson answered resoundingly
In December 2023, Charles Barkley urged Zion Williamson to put more effort on both ends of the floor. The 1987 rebounding champ was disappointed that Williamson was nabbing just 6 rebounds a game. He opined that a leaper like Williamson should tally no less than 10 rebounds per game. He reiterated that the 6’6” Forward should lose more weight to improve the chances of his squad.
“He should be averaging 11-12 rebounds a game. But he doesn’t run the floor at all. He owns that organization already, but if he could get in shape, this team, you would not wanna play this team,” Charles Barkley stated on Inside The NBA.
One week after the criticism, Zion put up 33 points in a remarkable win over the elite Minnesota Timberwolves. When asked about the criticism, Williamson hinted that he welcomes constructive criticism if it comes from a place of genuine care about him.
“If it comes from a great place and a place where they just wanna see me do better, thank you, but if it comes from anywhere else, everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. Can’t control that,” Williamson responded.
While Williamson responded to the critics, his Pelicans stood no chance in the playoffs after he went out. However, he is still 23 years old and has built a solid platform for a long-term career. We all know that Barkley will be hoping that the young forward comes back stronger next year.
