The joke on social media is that Zion Williamson hit the gym after seeing the Luka Doncic trade. Whether that is true or not, one thing is certain, Zion is in the best shape since he entered the NBA. Per the latest reports, he is the lightest he has been since being drafted. He has managed to lose plenty of weight since the start of the season. But after Luka was traded due to “poor conditioning”, it might seem that Zion took notice.
Luka Doncic Got Zion Williamson to Lose Weight
Per ESPN’s Michael Wright, Zion Williamson weighs 264 pounds, which is the lowest weight he has been since entering the league. At NBA.com, Zion is listed at 284 pounds, which was his official weight at the start of the season. That means that the New Orleans Pelicans forward managed to shed 20 pounds. Williamson looks in great shape. This season, he has dealt with injuries all year, missing most of November and December.
In February, he is having the best month of the year. He averages 26.1 points on 61.4% shooting from the floor. Since he returned from injury in January, he has been playing extremely well. That hasn’t translated into wins for the Pelicans, but they are happy to lose and get a higher draft pick.
Zion Williamson’s Weight and Contract Details
Zion Williamson is in the second season of a five-year $197 million contract extension he signed with New Orleans. His contract has plenty of weight clauses and games played, allowing the team to make years of his contract non-guaranteed. For example, there is a clause that requires his combined weight and body fat percentage to be below 295. If he doesn’t achieve that goal, the team can reduce his salary by 20% for the next season. Now that Zion has shed some weight, he will achieve this clause.
At the same time, the team can make future years of the contract non-guaranteed because he has missed several games. They can also waive him, but nobody expects that. With Zion playing at his best, the Pelicans are hoping that trend continues next season as well.
Pelicans Must Keep Zion
Recently, Zion Williamson became the third fastest active player to reach 5,000 points. Only LeBron James and Luka needed fewer games to reach that plateau. He also became the franchise leader in achieving 5,000 points in the fewest games. He beat Anthony Davis for that achievement.
Earlier this season, there were rumors that the Pelicans were open to trading Zion. It is understandable why the team might have wanted to part ways with their star player. He is often injured, but his latest weight loss shows a true commitment to the franchise. In his last game against the Spurs, Zion scored 22 points on 8-17 shooting from the floor.
Zion Promised to Lose Weight This Season
Fans might not remember it, but Zion Williams promised he would lose weight this season. Before the season began, he shared a couple of photos on social media. Fans were quick to notice that he looked thinner, some even saying “he might look too thin”. At the time, Zion said his current weight was 281 pounds. That was in August, and he wanted to reach 272 before the season began. For comparison, he weighed 285 pounds during his time at Duke.
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