Zion Williamson has been on the radar of numerous criticisms due to his weight. Even after trying his best to fit into the New Orleans Pelicans, his work has been overlooked because of his physical appearance. This time, it came from the ever-opinionated NBA forward turned-analyst Charles Barkley.
While talking to former NFL star Shannon Sharpe on the Club Shay Shay podcast, the 61-year-old recalled the times when he was a young player who had success at an early stage in high school, so he never focused on losing weight. However, he claimed that the weight loss helped him to improve his game. Then the 11-time All-Star brought in Zion Williamson’s name in the discussion.
Acknowledging his on-court brilliance, Chuck suggested him to “Lose 25lbs in the offseason.” He further added, “The sooner he gets in shape, the better he’s gonna be… I played against Bird, I played against Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael [Jordan]. I know what it takes to be successful.”
Amid all the criticisms regarding his weight, he has averaged 22.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5 assists and 1.1 steals this season. However, this was not the only suggestion Chuck had for him.
Charles Barkley Told Zion Williamson How to Avoid Injury
Zion Williamson left the New Orleans Pelicans in shock after leaving the court with a wrist injury against the Sacramento Kings in the playoffs. While trying to go through four opponents, the 23-year-old got fouled and fell on the floor. Because of the awkward fall, his wrist got injured, and he missed the playoffs.
Charles Barkley was disappointed with how Williamson put his left arm out to break the fall. On his recent appearance on TNT’s Inside the NBA, Chuck said the right way to fall at the time was to “Fall on your a**!” to avoid the situation he is in now.
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Shaquille O’Neal, who was present at the discussion, asked Barkley to demonstrate the right technique for a better understanding. The Hall of Famer immediately showed what he explained verbally, and Shaq burst out into laughter while co-host Kenny Smith applauded.
Despite the act being amusing, Barkley was a sport to display what exactly the less experienced players should do to avoid injuries during falls.
