Carmelo Anthony on Criticism of Zion Williamson's Fitness: 'It's so Much Pressure'

Zion Williamson has received plenty of criticism of late for being out of shape, and former New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony seems to understand the pressure the New Orleans Pelicans star is under to stay fit and lead the franchise to glory.

Speaking on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, Anthony said of Williamson's situation (59:48 mark):

"I think, from the beginning, there was so much put on Zion, like thrown at him. You have to be the next—you are the logo, you are the next guy. We haven't seen [anything] like this since this kid still wants to eat McDonald's, this kid still wants to eat Chick-fil-A, this kid still wants to drink iced tea, man he's from South Carolina… this is what they do—they eat… The fans want him to be Zion Williamson, the greatest thing since Wilt Chamberlain… but that's not who he wants to be yet. "

"So now he's dealing with the mental aspect of I just want to be 19, but it's so much pressure… So you start battling that and now injuries come… so now it's [that] he's too heavy, he's this, he's that… He needs to be disciplined… You [are] not gonna have that longevity that we are talking about if you don't have that discipline… my message to Zion is discipline, do what you gotta do and embrace the white hat."   "

Williamson's lack of conditioning has seemingly been a discussion since his arrival to the NBA in 2019, but the topic has received renewed attention after the Duke product was unable to keep up with a 38-year-old LeBron James in an In-Season Tournament semifinal loss to the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this month.

Even the likes of former NBA star Charles Barkley have weighed in on the situation, calling Williamson out of shape.

Following the loss to Los Angeles, Christian Clark of The Times-Picayune reported that the Pelicans "have repeatedly stressed to Williamson that his diet and conditioning need to improve" but that he "doesn't listen."

Williamson responded to the criticism of his conditioning on Tuesday, telling reporters, "All I can do is control the things I can control. Lock in on myself. Lock in on my teammates, coaches, and everybody with the Pelicans."

If Williamson took his conditioning more seriously, he could be nearly unstoppable. Basketball fans and the Pelicans are still waiting for the best version of Williamson, it's just unclear when they might get it.