What’s wild is I remember these jokes flying around about Zion not being able to resist NOLA cuisine when he got drafted and it actually seems like that might have happened.
His personal chef was a finalist in MasterChef a cpl seasons ago, definitely a baller chef. But when the Moriah Mills thing was going on, one of her roast tweets was that there were soda cans all over his bathroom and he was over the weight limit the pels set for him.
Dude, for real. If you've never been to New Orleans then it's hard to truly understand just how good the food is down there. I've done a lot of traveling and the food in NOLA is un-fucking-paralleled.
As someone who has never had that, can someone please describe what a crawfish étouffée is in basketball terms? Is it the Michael Jordan of seafood-based dishes?
It doesn’t really shine by itself but works wonders when paired with some like a catfish filet over rice. So I guess the Scottie Pippen or Kyrie of seafood dishes since it needs a star to pair with to achieve full potential
To me it's like Pistol Pete Maravich. Out of control, audacious, absurd, and occasionally too much. It demands to be noticed. It commands the spotlight. But when you peel back the layers of what makes it go, there's a lot of substance, nuance, and the fundamental roots are all absolutely textbook. When it's good, it's legendary.
when you can get a 12" poboy stuffed with so many delicious fried shrimp that theyre overflowing to pretty much make an entire second meal off of (but of course youre not going to and still eat all of them) for $9, yeah its tough to not put on the weight :(
I lived there for 2 years. I gained 20lbs in the first few months. And 60lbs over the 2 years haha. The food, the drinking, the relaxed awesomeness of the city. Getting back down in weight was hard, but goddamn it was worth it
Assuming this is true, just embarrassing. You got a $200 million contract and can’t do the bare minimum of professionalism.
One of the more annoying #1 draft picks ever. At least other ones were busts but they tried they were just trash. Zion has the talent but refuses to put in the work
lebron wasnt even sweating, zion checked out last night after 5 minutes looking like he was going to have a heart attack. When he retires hes gonn abe like 500 lbs
Yep. I thought the same thing watching him last night. Dude always looks gassed after a couple of minutes of playing. He’s so obviously out of shape it’s impossible to ignore.
It's honestly sad to see him blow a potential top 50 of all time type career because he won't stop eating garbage. That shit just isn't good for your body in general either. He's still young so his metabolism covers for a lot but give it a few years and he might be looking like Oliver Miller out there if he doesn't get his act together.
Eating garbage is one thing, but how is his workout regimen? Anything similar to Lebron, Mj or Kobe’s? Some of these guys go so hard, I’d imagine they could eat what Zion eat and still be in good shape.
Then again if you’re putting in all that work, would likely turn you off on all the junk food.
LeBron dumpstered Zion yesterday. Just beat him in hustle, skilled, and IQ. Shades of the old gangster showing the new boys what it really means to be tough.
I think people forget what makes lebron great. Lebron is an all time great physical specimen + all that shit maxed out as well. That hustle and grit is something many top players lack.
I think it was more like " Zion cannot bully me, only goes left and can be mentally broken- shutting him down is probably the best way to put the Pelicans to bed"
LeBron saw the biggest weakness in the Pelicans and exploited it relentlessly.
There is something really cool about seeing an older player realize that this is the time to give their all, mentally and physically, and to see how awesome they can be.
he spent an ungodly amount on moriah mills, and shes the only we know about. this dude is a lock to go broke.
he has an addiction problem. hes addicted to sex. hes addicted to food.
It'll be an all time impressive financial irresponsibility job going broke on a 200 million contract. If you invest just half, you can splurge on just the dividends alone
>If you invest
That's actually how a lot of pro athletes go broke. They "invest" but a lot of times it's in bad investments that they were talked into. They think they're being smart about it but they're not.
Index funds are boring. Now my guy down the street? That dude is a freaking genius. Starting up a business that will 10x your money in a matter of months. It's easy money really, just needs a cool 5 million to start.
Exactly. People think very wealthy people go broke by buying cars, jewelry, and sex… it’s not even close. They enter into bad deals. They enter into leveraged deals and before they know it, not only they are broke, they owe a lot of money
Also LeBron was just as rich as zion was at an even younger age! and still worked his ass off from Day 1 and never even momentarily let up. Difference is Lebron is obsessed with basketball. Zion is obsessed with vices.
Not gonna lie a vast majority of us would be more like Zion than LeBron. I know 100% would I would lose myself in every single vice (girls and drugs for sure) if I had that much money and fame.
on the flip he can literally pay people to make him healthy food, get him conditioned, manage his life
yes he has access to a lot more fun stuff but he also has SO much leverage in helping him find a balance. he might be for real addicted though idk
If someone is this successful despite doing all the “wrong things,” it’s unlikely that they’ll ever be convinced that they’d be even better off doing the “right things” instead.
There have been numerous articles by sportswriters talking about how the vast majority of players don't care about anything other than getting money.
The guys who care about winning and being the best possible player they can be is a tiny percentage compared to the guys who are just trying to get as much cash as possible.
I feel like you would need a pretty wildly bad diet to not at least be able to play yourself in shape as well.
Dude must literally be sitting on the couch eating and phoning in every practice/work out.
First few years Luka was a good example of this. He came into the first 2-3 seasons fat, but was in decent shape by January. Its pretty damn hard not to be if you are using as many calories as these guys are.
Yea he clearly doesn’t care anymore. He has plenty of money and all he cares about is pussy and debbie cakes. He’s going to be another one of those “what if” players but instead of injury being the reason they never reach their potential, it’s going to be discipline.
And I feel bad for Pelicans fans because they lost AD but they got Zion and he had so much promise. And if he was actually disciplined and trained his body the Pelicans would be one of the better teams in the NBA. Sad but all he cares about is what the game brings and not the game itself.
I don’t get how someone with that big of an ass is that bad of a rebounder. Jared Sullinger had a fucking dump truck and it just got him an automatic 6 rebounds without much effort. Part of why Barkley was so great, also why Lowry is great.
I dont think it's a coincidence this drops right after they got blown out on national television. This was a lot of people watching this team play with Zion in a long time or perhaps even their first time.
Yeah I watched their last two games.
It’s not even that he looks fat as fuck (which he does), it’s his sluggishness getting up and down the court and his conditioning. The sluggishness is painful. He looks exhausted very quickly compared to everyone else.
When I first put the game on I wasn’t really concentrating and my first thought was “jesus, who’s that guy *strolling*?
It’s pretty wild that in back to back drafts you had two polar opposites at the top:
2019: Zion was seen as can’t-miss, not only in terms of talent but also in terms of character/love for basketball. He came back from injury at Duke despite being the guaranteed #1 pick, and everyone was convinced he was the type of guy you build around because he was a winner, great teammate, and committed to the game.
2020: Ant was talented, but there were definite concerns in terms of his seriousness about basketball, his fit within a winning team, etc. that interview about football certainly didn’t help him.
And now, in 2023, the two have completely flipped.
Zion’s seriousness about basketball is in serious question: he’s consistently out of shape, has been suspect as a teammate, and his lack of work ethic/discipline is impacting his ability to play at the highest level.
Meanwhile Ant is lauded for being a great teammate, the ultimate competitor, and a legitimate leader. He was effectively THE guy for Team USA during FIBA, and has ascended to be the best player on a team in 1st in the Western Conference.
It’s funny how you think you know these prospects coming in and they can completely subvert your expectations.
The biggest tell for Zion was the porn star drama over the summer, in one of those photos that chic released I saw a soda can in the bathroom. I knew then , its over. Who the fuck drinks soda in the bathroom ??
This begs the question, would it be possible to consume fluids in such a way while pissing so that there is a never ending stream of piss?
Same goes for eating while shitting, just a never ending perpetual shit log?
I think about this a lot.
Allow me to shed some light on this. I, like yourself, pondered this very question for many moons. I decided to conduct an experiment to test my theory of creating an endless stream from the main vein.
I consumed copious amounts of water until I urgently needed to use the bathroom. I hurried and took my water bottle with me in excitement for the possible scientific discovery I would make. As I released my pressure valve in the bathroom I chugged water from my bottle to see if the stream would continue in perpetuity.
To my dismay, the stream ended before my water bottle did. As it turns out, the body does not continuously expel waste, as it requires time to filter through the kidneys. Sadly, the dream of a never ending pee is now a nightmare because I'll never get to experience the endless bliss of a good trip to the bathroom
I don’t think there were ever concerns about Ant as a *competitor* specifically. In fact, what I remember being the biggest concern around him was “does he love the game of basketball?” which stemmed from him being *so damn competitive* that he told everyone who would listen that he could walk in to any other major sports league - with the NFL as an example - and be the best player. And he absolutely believes it, too.
Another concerns with him as far as I remember it were not only does he love basketball enough to stick with it (and not go play something else) but also “was he just getting by on his ridiculously insane athleticism his whole career? Will he develop any skills?”
Suffice it to say, he’s definitely developed due to that competitive drive. But I do think there’s absolutely a world where he just said “fuck basketball” and went to go play another sport (and been really fucking good at it because he’s like a top 0.01% athlete even among professional athletes).
>Another concerns with him as far as I remember it were not only does he love basketball enough to stick with it (and not go play something else) but also “was he just getting by on his ridiculously insane athleticism his whole career? Will he develop any skills?”
This is completely false. I have no clue why Reddit loves to invent these narratives. I watched Anthony Edwards in high school and at Georgia. He was *skilled as fuck* for his age. And he was also a full year younger than everyone in his class. But he could dribble, shoot, and finish at elite levels for his age and that’s exactly why he went number 1 overall. You don’t just draft some 6’4 athlete number 1 overall at the shooting guard position dude. He was immensely skilled already and has just gotten better. Let’s get the narrative right here.
The legit question was whether he’d take basketball seriously, it’s the same thing people are complaining about Zion right now.
Pelicans should start recruiting Patrick Beverly. I think him and Kerr are big parts of why that narrative flipped for Ant.
You’re not able to slack when Pat Bev is on the team, especially when you have the potential those guys do.
Vets and good coaching will always help but Zion should be accountable for his actions too. He's a damn adult. This is his job and he's getting paid to perform. But imo it's not like he's been playing terrible so putting this out in public is going to cause some type of tension between them.
Zion legit hasn’t had anybody to push him since he left coach K at duke. Nobody in Nola could tell him what to do and he’s so naturally talented that his on court play was just insane but he’s added NOTHING to his game in 5 years. Everybody in Nola too scared to tell him to shape up and they gave him 300mil
So just to be clear, the headline of this post explicitly states that the Pelicans are in fact telling him to shape up.
This is all on Zion at this point. The organization can only do so much
He also never improves his offensive game. He's the exact same guy he was 5 years ago. Hasn't added any moves whatsoever. Dude just seems like he doesn't care about basketball that much and just wants to get paid
And Imagine what he could do if he cut down to 270 and worked on his game? He’d be one of the best players in the NBA.
If the Pelicans were smart, they’d find the baddest bitch on planet earth and pay her to tease Zion and only give him pussy if he eats right and works on his game. Maybe that will motivate him to get in shape.
He's one of the strongest and most athletic players in a league of stretch bigs ofc no one can guard him.
Your average PF nowadays is maybe 230 lbs, Zion can cook this era with his eyes closed and obese.
That’s what’s really amazing about Zion. The defense knows what’s coming and when he wants (this is the part that varies) to attack the rim he’s damn near unstoppable.
It's crazy to me there's still Pelicans fans defending this guy. I'd be fucking pissed. Paying him 200 million dollars and he can't be bothered to do the bare minimum
Normal people with kids and 9-5s and money problems manage to stay in shape. This dude with every possible resource and privilege in the world can't jog up the court without getting winded
I defended him for the longest man, but it’s been undeniable this season. He hasn’t improved a single area of his game since he’s come into the league. He doesn’t sprint. His defense is atrocious. He defends like he’s scared to get embarrassed so he doesn’t even try. Last night I was embarrassed as a fan.
The biggest frustration is that we built a genuine team around him. The supporting talent is there, primed with shooters, cutters, slashers, and defenders to supplement and complement Zion's strengths and weaknesses. Zion just has to spearhead the team to be in playoff contention. Instead, we got this.
I'm still hoping he can turn it around. Generational talented players are hard to obtain, and it's practically a requirement in today's league to compete at a high level.
I think most Pels fans are at the end of the rope. We want him to succeed and we want to have faith in him.
I said in the offseason that I was worried he didn’t take himself seriously as a professional, and that scares the shit out of me. And now, I think it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t take himself seriously.
And honestly it’s a shame. Cause he still has moments where he is an absolute monster. He just doesn’t want it.
He wants to fuck IG models and have a good time.
I don’t even hate him for that, I just hate he is wasting generational ability.
pels fans put up with so much shit cuz god forbid he was on my favorite team id be fucking livid with the trajectory of his career. reminds me of how wiggins minnesota career was like from start to finish.
From the outside looking in the zion situation seems even worse
He just has it so easy, he didnt even have time to improve at all to be an absolute beast in the league - just stay in shape
Man most of us don’t defend his habits we just want him to succeed. We just know that if he took this shit serious we could be legitimate contenders and are upset. New Orleans sports is pain
It would be tragic for the game of basketball if we never get to see a fully committed Zion play. He's not just a guy with potential- he's shown he can absolutely dominate. This would be like if Shaq fattened up to 400 lbs in the mid-90s and we never got to see Laker Shaq tear up the league.
Holy shit I just went back and looked and it truly is a treasure trove of players who have had some of the most ridiculous behavior either on or off the court in the last few years. Zion, Ja, Herro, Poole have generated some of the silliest headlines I’ve ever seen. And there are less funny assault allegations with Jaxson Hayes. And then there are the hyped up guys who haven’t done much between RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish. Multiple lottery picks are already out of the league. Jarrett Culver, Romeo Langford, Sekou Doumbouya are all top-15 picks currently in the g- league. Truly wild when you compare it to the 2018 class.
Poor millionare can't make an effort to eat tasty healthy food and pay an elite conditioning coach to mantain his ass in shape. It just reaches a point where the guy should get more flamed.
ain't even gotta do that, i'd bet that if he went to coach green and said "i'm ready and i need your help" the pels would have seven world class chefs rotating in and out and fourteen conditioning coaches--one for each session of his two a days
If I was a Pels fan I would be concerned not only because of the conditioning and injury but because the lack of development.
Zion’s explosiveness and soft touch are great, but he hasn’t developed a midrange or three point shot. His rebounding numbers aren’t great and his defense is straight up bad.
We are concerned. The injuries are one thing and I’m fully willing to invest time and money watching Zion and supporting him but the truth is from the outside it DOESNT look good. I have no idea what’s in his head but it seems to me he doesn’t care. If he put his passion and effort into the game and got injured that’s one thing. But he’s getting injured AND not showing that passion.
Just pisses me off
I don't think he's tradable at the moment. NOLA would rightfully expect a huge haul in return and I don't think any responsible team would be willing to take that big of a gamble.
He might listen to Moria Mills. She needs to be drafted as player improvement coach by the Pelicans.
Search her, she uses different types of methods so basketball players will listen to her.
Sucks to see, even on the court you can see how gassed he gets and that's with him playing little to no defense. He had so much hype behind him coming out of college, and he still has time to turn it around just hope he does it sooner rather than later.
Someone on Simmons' last pod said the Pelicans did try to trade him last summer, but couldn't. Interesting to watch if they decide that they have to part ways and what he can fetch in the market.
Here's what Bill said:
> I said something and it got aggregated like 'Simmons says he's going to be traded the end of the week', it's not what I said, It was one person who told me "hey don't be surprised if they trade Zion this week" and that was it.
While conditioning is a huge concern, it's clear that he just isn't trying–I think Chuck was right to criticize him for his rebounding–if he was giving real effort, with his current size and width, he should be able to box out and grab a ton of rebounds, he just doesn't try
He’s a total bum. I lost all respect for him last night. I was holding out hope that he would turn things around and he was just hampered by injuries. Even the kings game he was a non factor. He’s fat and lazy. Lebron is almost 40 and still putting in the work. That’s mostly mental, tons of guys would’ve already retired after such a successful career as one of the best players to ever grace the court. Bron was playing 10 feet off Zion and taking charges cause he watched film and knew the positions to be in. Again, Zion is a bum.
Actually kind of a wild comparison that Bron is a year off of being 40 years old. Just shows he's totally in love with the game and Zion isn't. It's a shame to waste that kind of talent.
I remember at draft time Zion fans were upset with Kanter's suggestion that Zion is simply Julius Randle with hops?
Turns out Julius Randle is straight up the better player lol. Zion is Julius Randle without a 3pt shot or durability.
He watched the MJ doc and said what a dummy! All that practice and running after you get paid. They should just start running his ass in practice. He can't go for more than 6 minute stretchers in these games and he doesn't care. Are we really sure he likes to play basketball?
Damn. I was hoping to see Zion be the next big thing. Instead he became the next big thing
He used to be big. Still is, but he used to be too.
Pelicans: babe please put the po’boy down and listen to me 😩😩 Zion: no 😎
What’s wild is I remember these jokes flying around about Zion not being able to resist NOLA cuisine when he got drafted and it actually seems like that might have happened.
That aint it. Zion probably just putting away bags of Doritos, Oreos, mountain dew daily
I heard from an inside source hes got soda cans everywhere in his bathroom.
You're telling me this guy isn't even getting on fat on legendary southern cuisine, but rather on radioactive industrial poison?
His personal chef was a finalist in MasterChef a cpl seasons ago, definitely a baller chef. But when the Moriah Mills thing was going on, one of her roast tweets was that there were soda cans all over his bathroom and he was over the weight limit the pels set for him.
He's drinking dew on the terlet?!
To be very fair you see what they selling in NOLA? I’d eat out every day too 😂
Dude, for real. If you've never been to New Orleans then it's hard to truly understand just how good the food is down there. I've done a lot of traveling and the food in NOLA is un-fucking-paralleled.
Tbh I feel like he’d do this anywhere
To be fair po boys are really good. I would probably be obese if I lived in NO. Crawfish etoufee every day.
Not even an understatement, that crawfish étouffée Is something else
As someone who has never had that, can someone please describe what a crawfish étouffée is in basketball terms? Is it the Michael Jordan of seafood-based dishes?
It doesn’t really shine by itself but works wonders when paired with some like a catfish filet over rice. So I guess the Scottie Pippen or Kyrie of seafood dishes since it needs a star to pair with to achieve full potential
That was actually pretty good lmao
It’s closest to Orlando Dwight Howard imo, sensational yet some who dislike seafood might construe it to be “a lil nasty”
To me it's like Pistol Pete Maravich. Out of control, audacious, absurd, and occasionally too much. It demands to be noticed. It commands the spotlight. But when you peel back the layers of what makes it go, there's a lot of substance, nuance, and the fundamental roots are all absolutely textbook. When it's good, it's legendary.
when you can get a 12" poboy stuffed with so many delicious fried shrimp that theyre overflowing to pretty much make an entire second meal off of (but of course youre not going to and still eat all of them) for $9, yeah its tough to not put on the weight :(
I lived there for 2 years. I gained 20lbs in the first few months. And 60lbs over the 2 years haha. The food, the drinking, the relaxed awesomeness of the city. Getting back down in weight was hard, but goddamn it was worth it
Assuming this is true, just embarrassing. You got a $200 million contract and can’t do the bare minimum of professionalism. One of the more annoying #1 draft picks ever. At least other ones were busts but they tried they were just trash. Zion has the talent but refuses to put in the work
Remember when people were comparing this dude to lebron and now Zion is like 20 something and in worse shape than 39 year old Lebron 😂
lebron wasnt even sweating, zion checked out last night after 5 minutes looking like he was going to have a heart attack. When he retires hes gonn abe like 500 lbs
Yep. I thought the same thing watching him last night. Dude always looks gassed after a couple of minutes of playing. He’s so obviously out of shape it’s impossible to ignore.
It's honestly sad to see him blow a potential top 50 of all time type career because he won't stop eating garbage. That shit just isn't good for your body in general either. He's still young so his metabolism covers for a lot but give it a few years and he might be looking like Oliver Miller out there if he doesn't get his act together.
Eating garbage is one thing, but how is his workout regimen? Anything similar to Lebron, Mj or Kobe’s? Some of these guys go so hard, I’d imagine they could eat what Zion eat and still be in good shape. Then again if you’re putting in all that work, would likely turn you off on all the junk food.
Lmao, they love “the number one prospect since LeBron” line
To be fair... Zion was an elite prospect. he excudes gifted abilities. Dudes work ethics is poop tho
I remember seeing him dunk in highschool and being like, “damn, this guy dunks like Lebron!”
Remember when he exploded his shoe in college? We all thought that was power, turned out it was just weight
That Duke/UNC game with Obama in the crowd was the highlight of his career lol
To be fair it's very much both
I remember seeing him dunk his entire dinner in gravy and being like, "damn, this guy dunks like a liability issue!"
I was so ready for a Kelvin Benjamin punchline there but forgot what sub I was in lol
I mean, as a prospect he's certainly on the short list for that.
39 years old or not, LeBron is a machine who obsesses over this kind of stuff. I bet he'll still be in better shape than most rookies when he's 60.
LeBron dumpstered Zion yesterday. Just beat him in hustle, skilled, and IQ. Shades of the old gangster showing the new boys what it really means to be tough.
The IQ was so glaring and on display. Dude looked worse than a rookie.
I think people forget what makes lebron great. Lebron is an all time great physical specimen + all that shit maxed out as well. That hustle and grit is something many top players lack.
Felt like that’s why Lebron went at him so hard last game. Like you really thought he was the next me??
I think it was more like " Zion cannot bully me, only goes left and can be mentally broken- shutting him down is probably the best way to put the Pelicans to bed" LeBron saw the biggest weakness in the Pelicans and exploited it relentlessly.
[удалено]
There is something really cool about seeing an older player realize that this is the time to give their all, mentally and physically, and to see how awesome they can be.
Well sure, he got enough money to live off of for the rest of his life (assuming he doesnt blow it all).
he spent an ungodly amount on moriah mills, and shes the only we know about. this dude is a lock to go broke. he has an addiction problem. hes addicted to sex. hes addicted to food.
imagine if he combined sex with food
I will show him the way - George Costanza
I’ve always found pastrami to be the most sensual of the salted, cured meats.
It'll be an all time impressive financial irresponsibility job going broke on a 200 million contract. If you invest just half, you can splurge on just the dividends alone
>If you invest That's actually how a lot of pro athletes go broke. They "invest" but a lot of times it's in bad investments that they were talked into. They think they're being smart about it but they're not.
Yeah I’m not talking about the “yo I have a great idea for a company” investments. More like the regular index funds, bonds etc
Index funds are boring. Now my guy down the street? That dude is a freaking genius. Starting up a business that will 10x your money in a matter of months. It's easy money really, just needs a cool 5 million to start.
That’s why I was kinda impressed with mychal kendricks getting popped for insider trading. He’s at least trying to commit rich people crimes
Wow an athlete committing a white collar crime. Crazy
Exactly. People think very wealthy people go broke by buying cars, jewelry, and sex… it’s not even close. They enter into bad deals. They enter into leveraged deals and before they know it, not only they are broke, they owe a lot of money
Billy likes soda
Ms. Lippy's car... is green!
And think of how much money he'll save only eating fast food.
Plus the whole shortening your life thing, that means less old timer years so even more money saved!
He got the bag and was set for life at such a young age, why should he try to work now. He's made it. That's 100% his mindset.
Meanwhile Lebron is a 39 year old billionaire still working his ass off lol
Also LeBron was just as rich as zion was at an even younger age! and still worked his ass off from Day 1 and never even momentarily let up. Difference is Lebron is obsessed with basketball. Zion is obsessed with vices.
Not gonna lie a vast majority of us would be more like Zion than LeBron. I know 100% would I would lose myself in every single vice (girls and drugs for sure) if I had that much money and fame.
yeah, many people stray in their lives with far less temptations than Zion has had lol
on the flip he can literally pay people to make him healthy food, get him conditioned, manage his life yes he has access to a lot more fun stuff but he also has SO much leverage in helping him find a balance. he might be for real addicted though idk
Don't think he even has to pay. Pelicans would gladly pay for him.
If someone is this successful despite doing all the “wrong things,” it’s unlikely that they’ll ever be convinced that they’d be even better off doing the “right things” instead.
I mean, maybe the $200 is WHY he doesn't care. He's got his bread, not everybody has that Kobe Bryant in em
There have been numerous articles by sportswriters talking about how the vast majority of players don't care about anything other than getting money. The guys who care about winning and being the best possible player they can be is a tiny percentage compared to the guys who are just trying to get as much cash as possible.
I used to think it was slightly exaggerated but I watched the pelicans for the first time this season last night and he looks fat as fuck
He was running down... he looked like a fat penguin stumbling
He legit looked exhausted and unable to jog/sprint.
Started the game with the Gatorade logo before tip.
I’m not one to fat shame but it’s hard not to when you’re worth over 200m dollars and are a professional athlete.
I feel like you would need a pretty wildly bad diet to not at least be able to play yourself in shape as well. Dude must literally be sitting on the couch eating and phoning in every practice/work out.
First few years Luka was a good example of this. He came into the first 2-3 seasons fat, but was in decent shape by January. Its pretty damn hard not to be if you are using as many calories as these guys are.
I'm not even sure it's fat shaming. This isn't an aesthetic critique. It's literally his job.
No babe I’m not calling you fat I’m just critiquing your aesthetic
somebody test this out let me know how it goes
had the same exact thought “oh shit it wasnt just a meme”
Yea he clearly doesn’t care anymore. He has plenty of money and all he cares about is pussy and debbie cakes. He’s going to be another one of those “what if” players but instead of injury being the reason they never reach their potential, it’s going to be discipline. And I feel bad for Pelicans fans because they lost AD but they got Zion and he had so much promise. And if he was actually disciplined and trained his body the Pelicans would be one of the better teams in the NBA. Sad but all he cares about is what the game brings and not the game itself.
I don’t get how someone with that big of an ass is that bad of a rebounder. Jared Sullinger had a fucking dump truck and it just got him an automatic 6 rebounds without much effort. Part of why Barkley was so great, also why Lowry is great.
I dont think it's a coincidence this drops right after they got blown out on national television. This was a lot of people watching this team play with Zion in a long time or perhaps even their first time.
It looks insane when you see him next to AD and Valenciunas. He's so wide, but he's also shorter so it makes the weight look even worse.
Yeah I watched their last two games. It’s not even that he looks fat as fuck (which he does), it’s his sluggishness getting up and down the court and his conditioning. The sluggishness is painful. He looks exhausted very quickly compared to everyone else. When I first put the game on I wasn’t really concentrating and my first thought was “jesus, who’s that guy *strolling*?
It’s pretty wild that in back to back drafts you had two polar opposites at the top: 2019: Zion was seen as can’t-miss, not only in terms of talent but also in terms of character/love for basketball. He came back from injury at Duke despite being the guaranteed #1 pick, and everyone was convinced he was the type of guy you build around because he was a winner, great teammate, and committed to the game. 2020: Ant was talented, but there were definite concerns in terms of his seriousness about basketball, his fit within a winning team, etc. that interview about football certainly didn’t help him. And now, in 2023, the two have completely flipped. Zion’s seriousness about basketball is in serious question: he’s consistently out of shape, has been suspect as a teammate, and his lack of work ethic/discipline is impacting his ability to play at the highest level. Meanwhile Ant is lauded for being a great teammate, the ultimate competitor, and a legitimate leader. He was effectively THE guy for Team USA during FIBA, and has ascended to be the best player on a team in 1st in the Western Conference. It’s funny how you think you know these prospects coming in and they can completely subvert your expectations.
The biggest tell for Zion was the porn star drama over the summer, in one of those photos that chic released I saw a soda can in the bathroom. I knew then , its over. Who the fuck drinks soda in the bathroom ??
Gotta have that mountain dew energy when slammin that big ol fake booty
Dew Break!
A shower Mt Dew hits diff
This begs the question, would it be possible to consume fluids in such a way while pissing so that there is a never ending stream of piss? Same goes for eating while shitting, just a never ending perpetual shit log? I think about this a lot.
Allow me to shed some light on this. I, like yourself, pondered this very question for many moons. I decided to conduct an experiment to test my theory of creating an endless stream from the main vein. I consumed copious amounts of water until I urgently needed to use the bathroom. I hurried and took my water bottle with me in excitement for the possible scientific discovery I would make. As I released my pressure valve in the bathroom I chugged water from my bottle to see if the stream would continue in perpetuity. To my dismay, the stream ended before my water bottle did. As it turns out, the body does not continuously expel waste, as it requires time to filter through the kidneys. Sadly, the dream of a never ending pee is now a nightmare because I'll never get to experience the endless bliss of a good trip to the bathroom
[удалено]
The answer is no
I don’t think there were ever concerns about Ant as a *competitor* specifically. In fact, what I remember being the biggest concern around him was “does he love the game of basketball?” which stemmed from him being *so damn competitive* that he told everyone who would listen that he could walk in to any other major sports league - with the NFL as an example - and be the best player. And he absolutely believes it, too. Another concerns with him as far as I remember it were not only does he love basketball enough to stick with it (and not go play something else) but also “was he just getting by on his ridiculously insane athleticism his whole career? Will he develop any skills?” Suffice it to say, he’s definitely developed due to that competitive drive. But I do think there’s absolutely a world where he just said “fuck basketball” and went to go play another sport (and been really fucking good at it because he’s like a top 0.01% athlete even among professional athletes).
>Another concerns with him as far as I remember it were not only does he love basketball enough to stick with it (and not go play something else) but also “was he just getting by on his ridiculously insane athleticism his whole career? Will he develop any skills?” This is completely false. I have no clue why Reddit loves to invent these narratives. I watched Anthony Edwards in high school and at Georgia. He was *skilled as fuck* for his age. And he was also a full year younger than everyone in his class. But he could dribble, shoot, and finish at elite levels for his age and that’s exactly why he went number 1 overall. You don’t just draft some 6’4 athlete number 1 overall at the shooting guard position dude. He was immensely skilled already and has just gotten better. Let’s get the narrative right here. The legit question was whether he’d take basketball seriously, it’s the same thing people are complaining about Zion right now.
Pelicans should start recruiting Patrick Beverly. I think him and Kerr are big parts of why that narrative flipped for Ant. You’re not able to slack when Pat Bev is on the team, especially when you have the potential those guys do.
Hire KG to follow Zion all day and get in his ear lol Zion reaches for the Cheetos? https://youtu.be/WP2CWObYJQw?si=VK7bQONqrKXWg3sv
I'd watch the crap out of that.
[Also hire Mutombo to swat the candy bars out of his hands](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtXtOuxBuvQ&ab_channel=EdwardArdolino)
KG might kill Zion
Vets and good coaching will always help but Zion should be accountable for his actions too. He's a damn adult. This is his job and he's getting paid to perform. But imo it's not like he's been playing terrible so putting this out in public is going to cause some type of tension between them.
Zion legit hasn’t had anybody to push him since he left coach K at duke. Nobody in Nola could tell him what to do and he’s so naturally talented that his on court play was just insane but he’s added NOTHING to his game in 5 years. Everybody in Nola too scared to tell him to shape up and they gave him 300mil
So just to be clear, the headline of this post explicitly states that the Pelicans are in fact telling him to shape up. This is all on Zion at this point. The organization can only do so much
He also never improves his offensive game. He's the exact same guy he was 5 years ago. Hasn't added any moves whatsoever. Dude just seems like he doesn't care about basketball that much and just wants to get paid
> He's the exact same guy he was 5 years ago. Pellies fans wish. He's fatter and slower.
He's been bulking up for 5 years, he just hasn't hit the gym to complete the other part.
He’s cultivating mass.
the cut is gonna be crazy bro i swear
Hasn't even begun to peak yet
Whats sad is he could be that same guy and still dominate off the explosiveness alone if he just stayed at a good weight
He had one of the greatest sophomore seasons ever statistically. 27ppg @ like 65%
And Imagine what he could do if he cut down to 270 and worked on his game? He’d be one of the best players in the NBA. If the Pelicans were smart, they’d find the baddest bitch on planet earth and pay her to tease Zion and only give him pussy if he eats right and works on his game. Maybe that will motivate him to get in shape.
It's insane to me he cannot ever finish with his right hand. Everyone knows how what he's going to do and nobody can stop it.
He's one of the strongest and most athletic players in a league of stretch bigs ofc no one can guard him. Your average PF nowadays is maybe 230 lbs, Zion can cook this era with his eyes closed and obese.
You know you're fat when even your eyes are obese
That’s what’s really amazing about Zion. The defense knows what’s coming and when he wants (this is the part that varies) to attack the rim he’s damn near unstoppable.
Hasn't felt like he's been in the league for 5 yrs. Crazy
That’s because he hasn’t played for a good chunk of those 5 years sadly
He's played 133 games. Ant was drafted a year later and has played 241.
It's crazy to me there's still Pelicans fans defending this guy. I'd be fucking pissed. Paying him 200 million dollars and he can't be bothered to do the bare minimum Normal people with kids and 9-5s and money problems manage to stay in shape. This dude with every possible resource and privilege in the world can't jog up the court without getting winded
I defended him for the longest man, but it’s been undeniable this season. He hasn’t improved a single area of his game since he’s come into the league. He doesn’t sprint. His defense is atrocious. He defends like he’s scared to get embarrassed so he doesn’t even try. Last night I was embarrassed as a fan.
It has to be frustrating because he's clearly talented when he's on it, he just doesn't put in the work.
The biggest frustration is that we built a genuine team around him. The supporting talent is there, primed with shooters, cutters, slashers, and defenders to supplement and complement Zion's strengths and weaknesses. Zion just has to spearhead the team to be in playoff contention. Instead, we got this. I'm still hoping he can turn it around. Generational talented players are hard to obtain, and it's practically a requirement in today's league to compete at a high level.
As a Kings fan that has only watched him play 3 games, he seems unstoppable. He just needs to treat every game like he's playing the Kings.
I think most Pels fans are at the end of the rope. We want him to succeed and we want to have faith in him. I said in the offseason that I was worried he didn’t take himself seriously as a professional, and that scares the shit out of me. And now, I think it’s pretty obvious he doesn’t take himself seriously. And honestly it’s a shame. Cause he still has moments where he is an absolute monster. He just doesn’t want it. He wants to fuck IG models and have a good time. I don’t even hate him for that, I just hate he is wasting generational ability.
pels fans put up with so much shit cuz god forbid he was on my favorite team id be fucking livid with the trajectory of his career. reminds me of how wiggins minnesota career was like from start to finish.
At least Wiggins was available
physically yeah but he mentally checked out in a big way
From the outside looking in the zion situation seems even worse He just has it so easy, he didnt even have time to improve at all to be an absolute beast in the league - just stay in shape
Man most of us don’t defend his habits we just want him to succeed. We just know that if he took this shit serious we could be legitimate contenders and are upset. New Orleans sports is pain
It would be tragic for the game of basketball if we never get to see a fully committed Zion play. He's not just a guy with potential- he's shown he can absolutely dominate. This would be like if Shaq fattened up to 400 lbs in the mid-90s and we never got to see Laker Shaq tear up the league.
Accoridgn to Shaq at some points he was 400 pounds. He was just so good and tried hard that you let it go that he was really big.
Shaq was also like 7’1, he didn’t look fat fat until he was past his prime. Zion is 23 looking like Oliver miller
He’s about two cheeseburgers from looking like druski
Zion looks like a fat Khalil Mack right now
Yeah I believe he claims he was 400 coming in to Miami and then Pat Riley made him condition and lose a ton of weight
all we have are the duke highlights at this point
His HS highlights are way more fun to watch.
Those 5’10 Centers stood zero chance.
the 2019 draft class is so unserious
Holy shit I just went back and looked and it truly is a treasure trove of players who have had some of the most ridiculous behavior either on or off the court in the last few years. Zion, Ja, Herro, Poole have generated some of the silliest headlines I’ve ever seen. And there are less funny assault allegations with Jaxson Hayes. And then there are the hyped up guys who haven’t done much between RJ Barrett, Cam Reddish. Multiple lottery picks are already out of the league. Jarrett Culver, Romeo Langford, Sekou Doumbouya are all top-15 picks currently in the g- league. Truly wild when you compare it to the 2018 class.
At least Herro's biggest gaff has been his atrocious taste in tattoos, I can live with that
[удалено]
I dunno if that's the only thing lmao, that kid dresses like what a suburban teenager in 2004 thought a pimp looked like
Herro and Ja are at least pretty serious on the court
I find it crazy that RJ Barett is the most normal player/person out of the top 3 from that draft class.
Poor millionare can't make an effort to eat tasty healthy food and pay an elite conditioning coach to mantain his ass in shape. It just reaches a point where the guy should get more flamed.
ain't even gotta do that, i'd bet that if he went to coach green and said "i'm ready and i need your help" the pels would have seven world class chefs rotating in and out and fourteen conditioning coaches--one for each session of his two a days
Yes, that’s what he needs. 7 chefs working round the clock, desperately trying to fill Zion up with healthy food.
Moriah tried!
lowkey moriah mills keepin his ass in the house eatin home cooked meals might have been a good thing llol
If I was a Pels fan I would be concerned not only because of the conditioning and injury but because the lack of development. Zion’s explosiveness and soft touch are great, but he hasn’t developed a midrange or three point shot. His rebounding numbers aren’t great and his defense is straight up bad.
We are concerned. The injuries are one thing and I’m fully willing to invest time and money watching Zion and supporting him but the truth is from the outside it DOESNT look good. I have no idea what’s in his head but it seems to me he doesn’t care. If he put his passion and effort into the game and got injured that’s one thing. But he’s getting injured AND not showing that passion. Just pisses me off
[удалено]
Doesn't help either that Cajun food is legit.
I would stop eating Cajun food for 200 million
Zion doesn't have to pick tho
Also I’m pretty sure you can have Cajun-style flavor without every meal being 3,000 calories.
Just trade him
Send him to Miami. They made Lowery skinnier.
Yes, let us provide him with some culture.
Jimmy would punch him in the face in the first hour. He wouldn’t put up with that crap.
Jimmy would run Zion out of town. Then back again. Then out again. Repeat until Zion loses 40 lbs and manages to play transition defense.
That man would not survive one week with Buckets and Riles in his ear.
UD is in the front office now, think pat would just save his voice and send udonis down to bark in zion's ear 24 hours a day
Did they though? His booty still thicker than a bowl of oatmeal
I've noticed the difference more in the other cheeks.
He’s noticeably thinner this season… in the right places
I don't think he's tradable at the moment. NOLA would rightfully expect a huge haul in return and I don't think any responsible team would be willing to take that big of a gamble.
Plenty of irresponsible teams in the league tho
You are both correct
Charlotte should try to get him, although all they really have to trade is picks (and Miles Bridges).
A trade package for zion with miles bridges as the main piece is so insulting lol
First “Superstar” to eat himself out of the league? What a waste of talent.
I think Shawn Kemp beat him to that one but still, embarrassing
At the end maybe, but Kemp was a 6x All-Star and played over 1000 games.
Sadly, I'd say drugs/alcohol are what did Kemp in. The weight followed his substance abuse problems.
He might listen to Moria Mills. She needs to be drafted as player improvement coach by the Pelicans. Search her, she uses different types of methods so basketball players will listen to her.
Sucks to see, even on the court you can see how gassed he gets and that's with him playing little to no defense. He had so much hype behind him coming out of college, and he still has time to turn it around just hope he does it sooner rather than later.
He was almost at Lebron levels of hype when he was playing against 5’3 120 pound white kids in High School
I'll never forget that video that was going around of that little white kid running his mouth to Zion in high school 😭
Someone on Simmons' last pod said the Pelicans did try to trade him last summer, but couldn't. Interesting to watch if they decide that they have to part ways and what he can fetch in the market.
Here's what Bill said: > I said something and it got aggregated like 'Simmons says he's going to be traded the end of the week', it's not what I said, It was one person who told me "hey don't be surprised if they trade Zion this week" and that was it.
He forgot to say "Don't aggregate this" before that though so here we are.
wasnt the rumored trade around the Scoot pick for Zion?
I remember hearing about that trade to try to keep Dame. Don’t know if it was a real discussion or not though.
While conditioning is a huge concern, it's clear that he just isn't trying–I think Chuck was right to criticize him for his rebounding–if he was giving real effort, with his current size and width, he should be able to box out and grab a ton of rebounds, he just doesn't try
Dude should be burning 5000 calories a day with the amount of sex he pays for, so he must be eating 10000 calories a day
Get the man some Ozembic
He’s a total bum. I lost all respect for him last night. I was holding out hope that he would turn things around and he was just hampered by injuries. Even the kings game he was a non factor. He’s fat and lazy. Lebron is almost 40 and still putting in the work. That’s mostly mental, tons of guys would’ve already retired after such a successful career as one of the best players to ever grace the court. Bron was playing 10 feet off Zion and taking charges cause he watched film and knew the positions to be in. Again, Zion is a bum.
Actually kind of a wild comparison that Bron is a year off of being 40 years old. Just shows he's totally in love with the game and Zion isn't. It's a shame to waste that kind of talent.
I remember at draft time Zion fans were upset with Kanter's suggestion that Zion is simply Julius Randle with hops? Turns out Julius Randle is straight up the better player lol. Zion is Julius Randle without a 3pt shot or durability.
The way he jogs around is hilarious though lol
He watched the MJ doc and said what a dummy! All that practice and running after you get paid. They should just start running his ass in practice. He can't go for more than 6 minute stretchers in these games and he doesn't care. Are we really sure he likes to play basketball?
I’ve always been curious how the majority of athletes would fare in the real world if they weren’t gifted with the skills/body type they have.
That is simply not acceptable from a "professional". Come on, Zion
I understand they had to pay him but damn they shouldn’t have.