Just as Pelicans star Zion Williamson has endured a long spell of injuries in the past years and recently was crucified in social media for allegedly messing around with porn star Moriah Mills while announcing he’s got a baby on the way, he’s spent these past months in silence, awaiting for the storm to pass by to finally open up about it.
This past Monday he was invited to former NBA player Gilbert Arena’s podcast called “Gil’s Arena”, and he gave a truly honest take on many subjects he’s been held accountable for.
“When I’m sitting on the sidelines, watching my teammates and certain games, they lose, I’m like, S***, I know. I know. If I was out there, I can change the outcome of it. So whether people want to believe it or not, when I’m on the sideline, man that hurt me more than anything. I just want to hoop,” the player expressed.
Check out the entire live-podcast interview in the following YouTube link below:
Williamson is considered one of the current NBA players with the most potential to eventually become the MVP, as last season he averaged 26 points, 7 rebounds, and 4.6 assists per match, but only managed to play 29 games due to injuries.
Just before his latest health issue hit him back on January 1, the New Orleans squad was standing at the top of the Western Conference table, but immediately fell down once their star foward was sidelined.
“At the end of the day, people are going to give their opinions, and what I can say is I do respect brutal honesty. I’d rather somebody be brutally honest with me than try to sugarcoat because at the end of the day, if they are honest with me, I know what I need to do to fix it,” the 24-year-old explained.
The former No.1 pick admits that he should take more accountability for his recent failures, because he’s been neglecting much of the sacrifice needed to return stronger for the upcoming season.
“Like Coach K (Mike Krzyzewski) taught me, I have to own up to my responsibilities,” Williamson shared. “There are a lot of things I could have done better. I didn’t. I’m in the process of fixing those wrongs.”
The Pelicans foward epxressed how difficult it has been to respect the diet imposed by the New Orleans medical staff
During Arena’s live recording, Williamson appeared for at least 10 minutes, and one of the main subjetcs was to talk about his weight and the injuries that have tormented him in the past.
When the former All-Star and host asked him if it was hard to keep a diet at his young age, the New Orleans foward gave him an honest response.
Zion Williamson admits it was hard for him to diet a few years ago pic.twitter.com/9xkY79tsV2
— NBACentral (@TheNBACentral) July 11, 2023
“It’s hard, man. I’m 20, 22. Have all the money in the world. It feels like all the money in the world. It’s hard. I’m at that point now because of certain things, I’m putting back the wisdom around me. I don’t want to say older because they’re defensive but I’m putting people around me with wisdom.
“Put me on game to certain things. And just go from there,” Williamson shared.
