Stephen A. Smith calls out Zion Williamson again: 'It's about how many burgers he's eating'

The two-time All-Star's weight and conditioning habits have been targets of negative comments since Williamson entered the league in 2019, and have increased this season.

Smith said in December that Williamson "looked fat" and when the Duke product went to the free-throw line, he "saw a belly."

"When he took a deep breath, his belly bounced, that type of belly...I know they got a weight clause in his contract; they've got to. He got to be violating it," Smith added. "He's addicted to food, I'm speculating, but it's gotta be...It's got to change."

It was reported later that month that Williamson's injury history (and weight) could eventually cost him millions in guaranteed money.

Many NBA experts had concerns over the lefty's durability in the NBA after his brief career with the Blue Devils. Those worries were soon realized when Williamson tore his meniscus during the preseason in October 2019, delaying his debut to January 2020.

After just 24 games across his pandemic-altered rookie campaign, the former No. 1 overall pick played in a career-high 61 contests and averaged 33.2 minutes per game during the 2020-21 season. Williamson also made his first All-Star team and put up his best numbers thus far in points (27) and rebounds (7.2) per contest while shooting a career-high 61.1% from the field.

He suffered a Jones fracture in his right foot during the 2021 offseason, underwent surgery and missed the entire next season.

New Orleans still signed the big man to a five-year rookie extension in July 2022, though it was later learned that there were some stipulations in the deal related to Williamson's health and conditioning.

Though Williamson earned his second All-Star honor last season, he was limited to 29 games and didn't appear in a game after Jan. 2 due to a hamstring injury. Per Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic, Williamson "triggered a clause that turned the salary he is owed for the 2025-26, 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons from guaranteed to non-guaranteed" by missing more than 22 contests.

Furthermore, it was reported that the contract includes clauses where the former first-team all-rookie can "earn back the guarantees" by appearing in enough games and "hitting specific weigh-in checkpoints." The contract reads that the "sum of Williamson's weight in pounds and his body fat percentage must be less than 295."

Both Basketball-Reference and ESPN list Williamson at 284 pounds, meaning his body fat must be lower than 10 percent to avoid losing out on the guarantees.

Williamson has appeared in 45 of the Pelicans' 56 games this season. He leads the team in points per game (22.5) and field goal percentage (.585), is second in rebounds (5.4) and assists per contest (4.9) and ranks third in minutes per game (30.6).