"Always looking slim, until he gets hurt again" - NBA fans not convinced with Zion Williamson's new look which shows a massive weight loss

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson missed the majority of the 2022-23 NBA season due to a hamstring injury. This marked a trend for Williamson, whose future is now in question due to his recurring health issues, after he also missed the entire 2021-22 season.

Some of these issues have been attributed to the Pelicans star being overweight as his body often struggles to keep up with his athletic playing style. However, an offseason photo has now surfaced with Williamson looking noticeably slimmed down.

The photo wasn’t enough to convince NBA fans, though, as many took to Twitter to express their skepticism about Williamson’s weight loss:

“Always looking slim, until he gets hurt again,” one fan said.

“I won’t take these pictures seriously. This is the new ‘Ben Simmons off-season shooting videos.’ I need to see Zion playing throughout a season,” another said.

Meanwhile, others pointed out that similar photos of Williamson looking slimmed down come out every offseason:

“Why y’all do this every time he takes a pic in the offseason,” one fan said.

“Y’all do this every year,” another said.

Here are a few more of the top fan reactions to Zion Williamson’s latest “slim” photo:

---

---

How did Zion Williamson fare this season?

New Orleans Pelicans star forward Zion Williamson

Zion Williamson only played in 29 games for the New Orleans Pelicans this season. However, he was very productive in his limited action, so much so that he was still named a Western Conference All-Star starter.

Williamson’s season was cut short by a hamstring injury that he sustained on Jan. 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers. The injury occurred while the star forward was running down the court on a fastbreak.

Initial reports estimated that he could be back in around three weeks. However, Williamson experienced continuous setbacks and ended up not returning this season.

Williamson averaged 26.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.1 steals per game on 60.8% shooting over 29 games. Meanwhile, the Pelicans finished 42-40 and ninth in the West.

Ahead of the Pelicans’ loss to the OKC Thunder in the play-in tournament, Williamson provided an update on his health situation. He said that he was feeling better but wasn’t quite up to his usual standards:

“Physically I’m fine. Now it’s just a matter of … when I feel like Zion,” Williamson said.

“I can pretty much do everything. It’s just a matter of the level I was playing at before my hamstring. I’m just a competitor.

“I don’t want to go out there and be in my own head and affect the team. I know myself. If I was to go out there I would be in my head a lot. I would hesitate on certain moves.”

It remains to be seen if Williamson will be ready by the start of next season.

---