Zion Williamson recently took big shots against NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley after a monstrous game against the high-flying Minnesota Timberwolves. The power forward dropped 36 points and shattered the Wolves’ six-match winning streak, but his words on the mic were his most impressive performance of the evening.

Zion Williamson responded to his big-time critics Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley in the post-match press conference. A social media post captured a small clip where he made his stance clear about his status, and that of Shaq and Barkley.

Zion Williamson slams Shaq and Barkley 

According to a tweet, Zion Williamson was caught in a video clip saying, “At the end of the day, I can’t control what no grown man do… All I can do is control the things I can control, lock in on myself, my teammates, coaches, and everybody with the Pelicans, the city.” 

Williamson said, “If it comes from a great place and a place where they just want to see me do better, thank you. But if it comes from anywhere else, people are entitled to their opinion. Can’t control that.” Thus, while Zion Williamson is ready to take constructive feedback, the New Orleans Pelicans power forward will not take unnecessary heat from anybody.

People heavily criticized Zion Williams for his lackluster effort in the semi-finals against the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA’s first-ever in-season tournament. Shaquille O’Neal, who was a proud LA Laker himself, took a great dig at Williamson for his losing effort. In fact, Shaq said that Williamson’s very body language showcases that he is weak.

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Shaquille O’Neal rips Williamson apart for failing against LBJ

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers tore through the lineup of New Orleans and defeated them by a mighty score of 133-89. LBJ scored 30 points while playing for just 23 minutes, while Zion Williamson put up 13 points despite playing for 26 minutes. This heavily angered Shaquille O’Neal who ripped him apart with his words.

The Hall of Famer said, “He doesn’t seal. He doesn’t demand the ball. Like you got a small guy and we talk about it all the time. Barbecue Chicken. Charles (Barkley) talks about it all the time. You can’t let a little guy guard you.” Shaq also mentioned, “He doesn’t have that look. Like, I’m not the greatest ever but I know a look when I see it… Tiger Woods had that look. Jack Nicholson had that look”

While he failed to shine against the LA Lakers, his gameplay against Minnesota saw him score 13 out of 17 field goals. This enabled the Pelicans to tower over the Timberwolves with a 121-107 victory.

Is this finally a turnaround for the former #1 draft pick? Or is this just another flattering performance amongst several bad ones?

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