New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will hope his new slimmed-down, well-defined frame and new lease of what he wants to do on the court will benefit his team and make them contenders this season.
The Pelicans need all the help they can get, given they are the rank outsiders to win their division. Indeed, using an odds converter, we can see that they’re given just a 0.4% chance of winning it, and even less chance of somehow securing the NBA Championship.
Williamson, the two-time all-star, turned heads when he showed up to the NBA team’s media day earlier this week, much leaner, slimmer and more energy. Williamson said that while he noticably looks in better shape, he feels great too.
“I really felt a shift in my body,” Williamson said. “I haven’t felt like this since college, high school, just where I can walk into a gym and I feel good.
After dealing with a severe hamstring injury through the 2024-25 season which limited him to a mere 30 games, Williamson entered into an intense off-season training program, led by trainer Daniel Bove, which has tested him to his limits.
Consisting of boxing workouts and drills on a football field, the training program was designed to help Williamson avoid his consistent issues with weight and injuries.
“Whatever my team needs, that’s what I’ll do,” Williamson said.
Once photos of the new-look Zion surfaced, social media went into meltdown as fans were stunned and happy by his transformation.
Bill Simmons, head of the Ringer, was immediately back in on the big man, posting: “Zion won me back in like 14 seconds. I’m back!!!”
“I saw this on NBA Centel and thought it was fake,” another user wrote, referencing a popular parody account. “Ozempic Zion about to be a problem,” another user posted.
However, Williamson has got his critics still. Former NBA player Jeff Teague, called Williamson for finally getting into great shape in a contract year.
“This is probably the dumbest press conference I’ve heard in my life,” Teague said. “All of this is because of you. You choose to eat, be out of shape, all that. Now, all of a sudden, it’s a contract year or looking for an extension. All of a sudden, he’s in shape, and he said they believe in me.
“Fool, they gave you a max deal. They’ve been believing in you. They had to put a lot of options in his contract because you didn’t believe in you. That’s dumb as hell, that press conference he’s doing.”
