NBA analysts are known for brutally calling out players if they are caught in the wrong. Being a basketball veteran analyst, Stephen A. Smith‘s takes often become a topic of discussion. Recently, Smith made headlines for his take on the New Orleans Pelicans‘ Zion Williamson.
Smith brutally fat shammed Williamson and called him out for ‘eating burgers.‘ But the NBA world was shocked by the Pelicans’ response to Smith.
Smith’s statement did not sit well with Pelicans’ social media team as they posted a series of poor performances by Smith on X. It all started with the team posting Smith’s 1990-91 college scorecard, where he averaged only 1.5 PPG and 1 assist. To which the analyst replied saying he was going through a knee injury at the time and asked what is Pelicans’ excuse for losing games.
LESS!!! Can’t score when you can’t play due to a devastating knee injury. That’s my fact. Now……what’s y’all excuse for never winning anything???
Can’t wait to see y’all in April. May and June? We won’t even go there! Good Luck! Tell my boys…Coach Green and CJ I’m always… https://t.co/1G9ZzwFPbF
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 23, 2024
Smith also took a dig on Pelicans chances in the Playoffs:
Can’t wait to see y’all in April. May and June? We won’t even go there! Good Luck! Tell my boys…Coach Green and CJ I’m always rooting for them.
In another post, the Pelicans posted poor highlights of Smith in several sports.
Oh, by the way……I think y’all already know y’all can’t TALK nearly as much as me. So…..be my guest! I’ve got 24/7…….365 days a year!
— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 23, 2024
In defense of the post, Smith explained he appreciates and enjoys several players and coaches. He also warned the Pelicans that he will keep his eyes on the team’s performance. And this does not affect his opinion of the team. Smith also referred to his job as an analyst that he has the ability to talk about teams and their mistakes.
This is not the first time Zion Williamson got fat-shamed
Stephen A. Smith is not the only one to comment on Williamson’s weight. Previously, during Inside the NBA on TNT, NBA star Charles Barkley called out the Pelicans’ power forward for being out of shape. According to Barkley, Williamson is strictly playing games based on talent and is lacking athleticism. He also talked about how his lack of fitness might affect the talent he has. Kenny Smith also agreed to Barkley’s comment.
Zion Williamson’s weight has been a topic of discussion for a while (Image via Open source/X)Shaquille O’Neal also talked about Williams running and how he couldn’t score easy points for himself. Fans suspected that O’Neal was referring to Williamson’s body. To which he responded, saying he was not talking about Zion’s weight or body. And that he does not intend to do that as in the past. O’Neal’s weight has also been a topic of discussion in the past, but it never affected his performance.
During ESPN’s first take, Shannon Sharpe and Stephen A. Smith both have commented on Zion’s weight in the past. They brutally described the player’s physique and called it out for being bad for a professional basketball player.
