In a recent interview, Zion Williamson pushed back against the narrative that he is overweight and that he doesn’t care enough about his future. But Stephen A. Smith doubled down on those criticisms and further mocked his food habits. The franchise New Orleans Pelicans stepped in and replied on behalf of their star player, which they have done before.

This marked another rivalry for Smith in the NBA. It started when the veteran ESPN broadcaster brutally mocked Zion and revealed that the source close to him wanted this information to be public. “The information that emanated about Zion Williamson came from inside the organization. It came from people even closer than that to Zion Williamson. I’m gonna leave it at that.

People who called up and encouraged us to get in his a– because of some of the things that he was doing. You got people that are alcoholics, you got people that are drug addicts, and stuff like that. What was Zion’s problem? Food! Food addict! You even have rumors — and literally, I’m here thinking it was a joke, and somebody told me — how he got busted hiding food under his bed.”

Again, this didn’t feel like criticism but a direct attack on the Pelicans’ star. It also ties in with what Zion Williamson shared in the recent interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews. He recalled the Jones fracture in his right foot, which sidelined him for the entire 2021-22 season and the fallout afterwards. The 2x All-Star shared how criticism about his weight and commitment to basketball multiplied during his rehab.

“I was really down because all I wanted was to play basketball,” Williamson confessed. This interview also came out when Williamson ended a streak of 35 straight appearances, the most in his injury-plagued career.

Now, in his seventh NBA season, Zion Williamson has played 259 of 574 games, a 45.2% career availability. Last season, he was limited to 30 games due to recurring foot and hamstring injuries. But in the 2025 offseason, he stunned the whole NBA world. During the team’s media day, he showed off a noticeable physical transformation after an intense summer conditioning program, during which he reportedly lost nearly 50 pounds.

The Pelicans stepped in to save Zion Williamson’s reputation

Even if the rumors of New Orleans trading its #1 pick exist, they weren’t letting Smith dunk on Zion. Shortly after the segment aired, the team’s official X account posted a hilarious trolling video aimed at the ESPN broadcaster. The caption, “Stick to solitaire, Stephen,” was a dig as Smith was caught playing solitaire on his phone during an NBA game. The video had multiple embarrassing moments for Stephen A.

The clip showed him missing shots on the hardwood, failing at MLB’s ceremonial first pitch, short hands while punching, and even slipping on the floor. This isn’t even the first time they’ve replied to the ESPN broadcaster. Back in 2024, when Smith hit Williamson with another weight critique, the Pelicans dropped the same fail reel, but captioned “Flock it, Stephen A. Smith highlights.”

But the recent tweet quickly went viral and even caught Smith’s attention. He responded by saying he would give an appropriate reply on the next episode of First Take. Now expect Zion Williamson’s name to be dragged into this again.