Charles Barkley gives severe indictment on Zion Williamson's fitness struggles: "This is professional basketball, we’re not babysitters"
Zion Williamson has struggled with his health and fitness since entering the NBA. The former Duke Bluedevil has rarely shown the skill and potential that saw him enter the NBA as a first-overall draft pick amidst an enormous amount of fan fare.
Unfortunately, Williamson's career is better remembered for the amount of games he has missed, rather than what he has produced on the court. According to Charles Barkley, Williamson needs to take control of his fitness and weight issues to ensure he gets healthy enough to sustain a high level of production throughout a season.
“He needs to get in shape, plain and simple. This is professional basketball, we’re not babysitters. To make the kind of money these guys are making today, I don’t think it’s a lot to tell guys to get in shape.”
Charles Barkley on Zion Williamson 🗣️
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"He needs to get in shape, plain and simple," Barkley said. "You know, this is professional basketball. We're not babysitters. To make the kind of money, these guys are making today, I don't think it's a lot to tell guys to get in shape.
"Hey, I don't know. Zion seems like a good kid, but it sounds to me like he doesn't have great people around him, you know, because your friends - I was blessed to have Moses - but your family and friends should say, yo, man, you're going to screw up your future."
Barkley then continued to explain why he doesn't believe Zion Williamson's health issues are fair to the NBA, New Orleans Pelicans or the player himself.
"It's not fair to the Pelicans. It's not fair to the NBA. But the bottom line, he just got to get in shape, plain and simple. And listen, hire a chef. The kind of money he's making, hire you a personal chef. So he just got to grow up, plain and simple."
Zion Williamson has played only 29 games since 2021, having missed the entire 2021-22 season with a foot injury before returning last season and being shut down after 29 games.
Zion Williamson wants to get in shape
During a recent appearance on the 'Gils Arena Podcast' with Gilbert Arenas, Zion Williamson discussed the struggles he has faced regarding his diet and fitness.
Zion kept it real about the food. https://t.co/KO5HXAQ4oN
"There are times where I will say, 'Man, that s**t hard.' It's hard, man, like 20, 22, it's a lot of money. Feels like all the money in the world, man. It is hard," Williamson said.
"But I'm at that point now where, because of certain things, I'm putting back wisdom around me. ... Just people around me with wisdom, who put me on game to certain things, and go from there," he added.
It would appear that Williamson is ready to take his diet and fitness more seriously, as he begins to question his legacy in the NBA. As such, it should come as no surprise that Williamson told Arenas that 'LeBron has the blueprint.'
"Because I think it's those things that will be able to keep me on the court longer versus just losing a bunch of weight. And then coming to play not being able to maintain, so just I mean, s**t Bron got the blueprint," he added.
The NBA yearns to see a fully healthy Zion Williamson next season, and he can begin to prove that he's still an elite-level prospect who could become a top-10 player in the league.