Zion Williamson has had his fair share of woes since his NBA career began and he only has 114 career games to show for it.
Between weight gain, injury management, alleged team chemistry issues, and his ‘relationship’ with porn star Moriah Mills, Zion has been a big topic of conversation since he was drafted as the first overall pick in 2019 by the Pelicans.
Four-time NBA champion John Salley recently discussed Zion’s woes and spoke about just how committed you need to be an NBA player in order to succeed.
“Well…when you become a professional athlete, everything becomes a part of that profession: your intake of food, your workout regimen, your hangout regimen, your mentality of study…When you’re an NBA player, the only thing that you should do is is think about advancing as being an NBA player,” Salley said on The Inside Scoop on Monday.
“It wasn’t Zion’s fault with the weight gain. The reason why he was going to get hurt was because we play 15 games a month in the NBA. They play 30 games a year in college. So in two months he played a college career/season and he’s played against heavier opponents. The flights are different, the environment is different.”
Among all his bad press, Williamson’s former Duke teammate Jared Harper recently defended him.
“[Zion Williamson] is a great player… He is also a good person,” Harper said on Run Your Race.“I don’t know if the media portrays him as the type of person that he is. He’s a genuine person… [Pelicans] coaching staff is great, the whole team is great.”
Could this upcoming season be one of redemption for Williamson? Only time will tell.