LeBron James, Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson recently spoke openly about the mental toll he faced while recovering from a broken foot during the 2021–22 NBA season. In an interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, the New Orleans Pelicans star said the criticism surrounding his weight during that period left him in a difficult emotional place.
Williamson admitted that seeing the constant conversation about his body and availability pushed him to a low point while he worked toward returning to the court, per Fox News. “Really low,” he said when describing how he felt during that stretch as he rehabbed and dealt with outside scrutiny.
The comments resurfaced in a big way this week after ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith addressed the topic again on Tuesday’s episode of “First Take,” offering strong criticism of the Pelicans forward.
“He’s played in 259 games in his career, he’s missed 275,” Smith said. “You’re looking at him right now and you’re saying to yourself, ‘Of course he’s not a bust,’ because the brother can ball. He’s averaging 21 a game which is down from last year, down from the year before. …When he’s healthy and on the basketball court we know what he can do, it was just about his dedication to being available to do it.”
Smith continued by describing what he claimed to be information coming from people close to Williamson.
“The information that emanated about Zion Williamson, it came from inside the organization. It came from people even closer than that to Zion Williamson, I’m gonna leave it at that,” Smith said on Tuesday’s “First Take.” “People that called up and encouraged us to get in his a– because of some of the things that he was doing. You got people that are alcoholics, you got people that are drug addicts and stuff like that. What was Zion’s problem? Food! Food addict!
“The joke was everybody in New Orleans that cooked, it could be everybody from a restaurant, a chef, to your grandmama. Everybody that cooked knew about Zion Williamson. And he knew them! They were on a first-name basis. Cause that brother ate a lot! You even have rumors, and literally, I’m here thinking it was a joke, and somebody told me to go on the air and point out how he got busted hiding food under his bed. This is the kind of stuff that was happening.”
LeBron’s Postgame Message to Zion
Just hours after those comments circulated online, Williamson and the Pelicans faced LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Los Angeles secured a 110–101 victory.
Following the final buzzer, cameras and microphones captured a brief moment between the two stars as James approached Williamson and embraced him near midcourt, SI reports.
During the interaction, James delivered a blunt message regarding the criticism that had been dominating the conversation earlier in the day.
“F— all that bulls— about Stephen A.,” James seemingly told Williamson after hugging him.
History Between LeBron James and Stephen A. Smith
James stepping in with the comment did not come entirely out of nowhere. The Lakers star and Smith have clashed publicly in the past, including a heated exchange that drew widespread attention.
Last March, the two were seen in a tense courtside interaction during a Lakers and New York Knicks game. The moment quickly spread across social media, with many linking the confrontation to Smith’s commentary about James’ son, Bronny James.
The disagreement continued across different platforms, including podcast discussions and social media responses from both sides. Other players and media figures also weighed in at various points, while NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the broader conversation surrounding the situation.
Smith later said he believed James attempted to damage his media career during a recent interview with Graham Bensinger.
Given that history, James may understand as well as anyone what it feels like to be at the center of a public back and forth with the outspoken ESPN host.