It seems like Shaquille O’Neal‘s concerns regarding a certain 22-year-old NBA star were warranted. New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson sustained an injury during the Pelicans’ game against the Philadelphia 76ers. As a result, Williamson had to sit out the remainder of the game. While this was a recent occurrence, Shaq had time and again raised his concerns about Williamson being prone to injuries on the court due to a seemingly valid reason.

The New Orleans Pelicans played against the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday night at the Wells Fargo Center. Williamson had played till the third quarter before he was ruled out of the game due to a right hamstring injury. The Pelicans lost to the Sixers by 120-111. Meanwhile, NBA fans expressed their frustrations on social media following the disappointing news.

NBA fans react to Zion Williamson’s injury

Zion Williamson was one of the most hyped NBA prospects when he entered the league as the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Williamson showed the potential of becoming the next great star after a dazzling career in college. However, the 2021 NBA All-Star has been spending more time outside the court since then due to persistent injuries. He had previously taken time off to heal his foot injury during which he gained a couple of pounds, unwittingly inviting a lot of criticism. Shaquille O’Neal couldn’t help but lend a piece of advice to Williamson on the matter during that time.

“‘Do I want to be known as the best player in the league, do I want to be this? Do I want to be that?’ He needs to tell himself that. He needs to look in the mirror-like ‘you know what? I don’t look like I did in high school or Duke. I’ve put on a few pounds. This is what I have to do to get it off.’ And get to that next level,” Shaq said in an episode of NBA on TNT.

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While Williamson was able to achieve his desired strong physique, it did not make him any less prone to injuries. Now it remains to be seen whether Zion takes Shaq’s old advice seriously and really focuses on taking himself to the next level. The budding star could be devastating in the paint and emulate the Big Diesel himself, if he finds a way to make himself more durable on the hardwood.

Meanwhile, after NBA insider Shams Charania announced the Pelicans star’s injury report on Twitter, several fans showed concerns, while others vented their frustrations with the repeated injuries, some comparing him to LA Lakers’ Anthony Davis. Below are a few of the tweets.

Shaquille O’Neal’s concerns about Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson had gone through a massive physical transformation in the past year after he gained a couple of pounds. However, the 2019 Karl Malone Awardee was soon able to get back in shape, but his new physique raised a new concern for Shaquille O’Neal. In an episode of The Big Podcast with Shaq, co-host Nischelle Turner mentioned Williamson’s new physique and said that he looked good. However, Shaq had a whole other opinion.

“He looks good but he’s Zion. So they’re gonna be bringing that pain, they’re gonna be bringing that force when they play against them and they’re going to be horrified. I just hope his new little body can withstand that,” Shaq told his co-hosts.

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Furthermore, Shaq wished Zion well and added that while he is looking good, he liked him better when he was ‘big Zion’.