Zion Williamson is taking a lighter approach to his sixth NBA season.
The first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft had high expectations, expectations he has only partially met. The 2.08m wing has been an excellent scorer, but his health and discipline have been a source of concern since his arrival in the league.
Williamson weighs 280 pounds, an extraordinary amount for someone of his size and athleticism. It seems he finally lost some weight as he approaches his sixth year. The latest photos of the power forward from his basketball camp are revealing.
Here’s a look at a slimmer Williamson as he heads into his sixth NBA season.
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Zion Williamson Weight Loss Photos
Williamson posed for a photo with two children at his basketball camp in Spartanburg, South Carolina. The Pelicans star attended high school in the city, but he told reporters he hadn’t been there in two years.
Zion 👀💪
(By aclemsonfan4life / h/t @IngramAlerts ) pic.twitter.com/Sc0HNJ2Hr9
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 18, 2024
People speculate about how many pounds Williamson lost, with some saying 25 to 30, but there is no confirmed figure.
The forward looks closer to where he was when he enrolled at Duke. The school rated him at 285, but he looked noticeably thinner than he did in some of his final NBA seasons.
Williamson has been heavily criticized for his weight, which has played a major role in his health and availability. He played a career-high 70 games last year, but injured his hamstring in the play-in tournament and missed New Orleans’ first-round playoff series against Oklahoma City.
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The two-time All-Star missed his entire third NBA season and has played fewer than 30 games in two of his other four seasons. A slimmer frame not only gives him a better chance of staying on the court, it could also improve his game.
Both of those elements will be critical if the Pelicans hope to make the Western Conference playoffs.
Zion Williamson Statistics
Williamson played four of his five seasons in the NBA. He missed his entire third season with a foot injury.
| Year | Team | General practitioner | MPG | PPG | Role play | APG | SPG | BPG | %FG | 3-PT% | FT% |
| 2019-20 | Pelicans | 24 | 27.8 | 22.5 | 6.3 | 2.1 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 58.3% | 42.9% | 64.0% |
| 2020-21 | Pelicans | 61 | 33.2 | 27.0 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 61.1% | 29.4% | 69.8% |
| 2021-22* | Pelicans | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022-23 | Pelicans | 29 | 33.0 | 26.0 | 7.0 | 4.6 | 1.1 | 0.6 | 60.8% | 36.8% | 71.4% |
| 2023-24 | Pelicans | 70 | 31.5 | 22.9 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 57.0% | 33.3% | 70.2% |
*Did not play due to foot injury
