“Y’all say ‘let the kid eat’ even though the man eating himself out of a job. The guy who said that tells me everything I need to know about you. That says more about you than it does about him,” Shannon Sharpe was in no mood for jokes about Zion Williamson.

It’s been 5 years since Zion Williamson entered the league in the 2019 NBA draft. Selected 1st overall by the New Orleans Pelicans, he was considered ‘The Messiah’ of the franchise. Yet, where’s Zion’s raw explosiveness now? The player tormented defenses in the college basketball circuit. He lost 25 lbs heading into this season, looking to re-kick-start his career. But injuries derailed his progress.

On top of that, NFL legend, Shannon Sharpe was in the mood of mincing NO words, wanting Zion to lose even more pounds to further propel his NBA career. In the latest episode of Nightcap, with Chad “Ochocinco”, he detailed the hoopster’s issues regarding his weight. He wants the player to remain motivated and keep his discipline. Well, it seems losing 25lbs is not enough for Sharpe!

“Everybody just talking about making excuses for him. He just a big… People just talking about Shannon. Look at the elephant. All he eats is grass. Yeah, but he eats 400 pounds a day. That’s why his a** big,” said Shannon, wanting Zion to lose weight.

“Zion has the problem what I told my kids. I can’t want something more from you than you want it for yourself. Everybody wants Zion to get in shape except Zion. Everybody wants Zion to have discipline except Zion. So, how can I want something? How can the team want something? More from him than he wants it himself,” said Sharpe, talking about Zion’s inner psyche.

According to Bleacher Report, Zion Williamson gained more than 300 pounds in 2021. Undoubtedly, the Pelicans staff saw this as an issue. Including a weight clause made sense as they pay him around 197 million for 5 years! Of course, the franchise wanted their dividends with such a heavy investment. The NBA’s a business at the end of the day, isn’t it?

New Orleans Pelicans issue a weight clause in Zion Williamson’s contract

When you’re a top-level athlete, you can’t be overweight. It’s as simple as that. It’s because we, as normal fans, look up to athletes for inspiration. In fact, the Pels have kept a weight clause in Zion’s contract that requires him to maintain a certain weight and body fat percentage.

Shannon Sharpe pointed it out, saying, “That’s why they put it in his contract. Look what it got into his contract. That he has to hit weight clauses. Because they know him. That’s not the team’s fault. Ain’t nothing to do with New Orleans. That’s Zion in his no discipline a**. That’s all that comes down to Ocho.” Due to this, he remains more prone to injuries than other players.

Imagine, a basketball player jumps up and down like a pogo stick in every game hundreds of times. With all that weight coming down, gravity won’t be kind to you and your knees. Talking about the Pelicans, they have the worst record in the league right now.

At one point, they had 8 injured players out. That’s half the roster for Christ’s sake.

Zion Williamson remains out, with a hamstring injury again and played just six games this year. He played over 70 games last season, the healthiest he’s been in his career. Despite shedding all that excess weight, injuries keep mounting for the undeniably talented guy.

Hopefully, he recovers well and showcases those monstrous dunks to entertain the fans, and most importantly, gets the Pelicans up and flying!