New Orleans Pelicans Shade Stephen A. Smith After Latest Zion Williamson Comments

Stephen A. can't let us hang ups about Zion's weight go.

BYBen Mock
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SiriusXM At Super Bowl LVII - Feb. 9

The New Orleans Pelicans have taken shots at Stephen A. Smith after the ESPN personality went on yet another rant about team star Zion Williamson. The team's official X account posted a graphic showing Smith's dismal college stats of 1.5 points and 1 assist a game.

Appearing on Get Up! earlier today, Smith had once again gone after Williamson's weight. "Zion Williamson, it's not about his game. It's about how many burgers he's eating. Whether or not he is going to be in shape or keep eating McDonald's and have chefs clamoring for him to come to their restaurants. That's what he has to prove, that the chefs don't love him any longer. That he's committed to playing basketball and being in shape," Smith said as the Pelicans prepare to face the Heat later today. Williamson, who is listed as a game-time decision due to a foot injury, is averaging 22.5/5.4/4.9 this season. He is shooting a league 12th-best 58.5% from the field.

Read More: Shaq Shows Zion Williamson No Mercy, Pelicans Star Cops To Bad Performance

Stephen A. Smith Feuds With JJ Redick

Meanwhile, it's not just the Pelicans who have it out for Smith right now. Stephen A. Smith and JJ Redick once butted again butted heads on First Take as Redick lamented that NBA fans "don't want to be educated." "I can do a video on my podcast where I break down the last nine games the Pelicans have used Zion Williamson as the primary ballhandler... 54,000 views on YouTube. But I wanna call out a coach yesterday. Oh, that gets tens of millions of engagements. That's the ecosystem we live in. So do fans actually want to be educated or not?" Redick ranted.

The argument stemmed from a debate about Kevin Durant voicing his frustrations that he didn't get credit as a team leader. While Redick believed the lack of credit was warranted, Smith vehemently disagreed, The spearhead of First Take got more and more heated, especially after Redick went after Mad Dog for weighing in. "That is a Hall of Famer, JJ. That is a Hall of Famer for media who has been covering sports for 40+ years that you are sitting across from," Smith fired back at Redick.

Read More: 5 Times JJ Redick & Stephen A. Smith Threw Down On First Take

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About The Author
Benjamin Mock (they/them) is a sports and culture writer working out of Philadelphia. Previously writing for the likes of Fixture, Dexerto, Fragster, and Jaxon, Ben has dedicated themselves to engaging and accessible articles about sports, esports, and internet culture. With a love for the weirder stories, you never quite know what to expect from their work.