Furious Stephen A. Smith accuses Zion Williamson of 'stealing' in wild rant 

New Orleans Pelicans big man Zion Williamson has been on the injury table more than he has appeared on the court throughout his six NBA seasons. His Friday suspension from a 123-115 win at the Philadelphia 76ers got a response from ESPN's Stephen A. Smith on Monday on "First Take," where he accused the 2019 No. 1 draft pick of "stealing."

The Pelicans suspended Williamson without pay for being late to the team's flight to Philadelphia. This situation didn't go well with SAS, who has called out Zion for his fitness troubles in the past.

"I better not find out this has something to do with food. ... He is stealing money," Smith said. "And I say that not to question the legitimacy of his injury. I'm saying that to question his professionalism."

The Pelicans announced in a statement via David Griffin, their executive vice president of basketball operations, that Williamson was suspended as a result of not meeting team standards.

The former Duke star responded in a statement that he took responsibility for his actions. Pelicans coach Willie Green also said that his suspension was more than just a result of missing his flight but a pattern of behavior that went against team policy.

---

Zion Williamson gets called out by NBA veteran after serving suspension

Former NBA player Lou Williams called Zion Williamson out on a Monday edition of "Run It Back." He said his actions might affect him in the future.

"There's no excuse for this," Williams said. "Chandler (Parsons) can attest to this. To be late to a team plane is almost impossible."

In his absence, the Pelicans took down the 76ers. However, when he returned against the defending champion Boston Celtics, the Pels were back in the losing column.

Against the Celtics on Sunday, Zion scored 16 points, created seven assists and made three rebounds. The C's narrowly edged the Pelicans 120-119.

The Pelicans (8-32), rooted at the bottom of the Western Conference standings, will hope that Zion stays healthy and helps them as the regular season continues. The Pelicans visit the Chicago Bulls next on Monday.