Zion Williamson of the New Orleans Pelicans missed all of last season because of an injury and a slow rehabilitation process.
It was a tough time for the star – made even tougher because of the things that were said about him.
During his absence, there were numerous people who wondered if he was going to ever return to the Pelicans or the NBA at all.
Meanwhile, other people constantly critiqued his physical state.
Exclusive: I talked to Zion Williamson about what it was like to be a lightning rod for cruel weight jokes last season.
“I don't even think they realized what kind of impact that can have on you.”https://t.co/Hawj3WpQ5V
— Melissa Rohlin (@melissarohlin) November 7, 2022
Williamson appeared in public a few times during his year-long benching and he often looked large, as if he gained quite a few pounds while not playing basketball
The headlines and tweets about Williamson were rather harsh and they definitely had an impact on him.
Speaking to Fox Sports, Williamson opened up about what was said about his weight:
“What people don’t understand is, even the writers and stuff, if they have children of their own, imagine if somebody talked about their child how they spoke about me. Critiquing my body, critiquing how I look. Every time they talked about me, it was about weight, how bad I looked. I don’t even think they realized what kind of impact that can have on you.”
It’s sad to hear that Williamson was so negatively affected by those comments about his body.
The good news is that he has returned to the league looking great and playing even better.
Williamson’s Weight
Nearly everyone suffering from a physical injury can gain some weight in their downtime because they simply cannot move around like before.
But most people don’t have the media scrutiny Williamson did.
Williamson easily shed the extra weight and has come back with a vengeance, averaging 22.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 3.7 assists and once again rattling rims all over the NBA.
Living well is the best revenge and Williamson has definitely started the revenge season fans were hoping for.
NEXT: The Pelicans Might Be Getting A Star Player Back