Fat to fit: the journey behind Zion Williamson’s body transformation 

The young high flying unstoppable prospect of Zion Williamson out of high school looked to be the next great one. Six years into his career, instead of being this dominant force, he is a dominant eater. 

Zion Williamson was the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft. In the 2022 NBA season he was reportedly 330 pounds. But Zion has embarked on a transformation that has seen him trim down to a current 264 pounds—twenty less pounds then when he was in college.  

Zion has been known most of his career as a fat man, never being able to stay in shape. His conditioning led to constant injuries, specifically in his lower body, hindering his ability to play, which made him miss fifty-five percent of career games. Now, Zion Williamson has just entered his revenge arc with his body transformation as just the beginning.  

When Zion is healthy, he ls a superstar on the court. But can his team trust him to maintain himself this time? There is a joke in the NBA community where Zion is in an endless cycle where he loses weight in the offseason just to gain it all back in the regular season. but it wasn’t exactly that drastic of a change with Zion going from fat to slightly fat.  

In the last six years Zion has played in his career, he has been playing way below expectations. He was projected to be a top superstar, the next Lebron James, but his conditioning led to inconsistent stats and missing the playoffs often. His team needed him, but with him always missing games, his team deteriorated. 

Year after year of this cycle from Zion, criticism from fans and even his own team wanting to move on and deal him, and after losing millions of dollars from his contract, Zion’s reputation hit rock bottom. 

In 2022, the Pelicans made Zion sign a contract that included stipulations about his weight. For Zion to get all his money guaranteed in his contract, he must fulfil a few conditions. The contract has a weight benchmark he must pass; the criteria is that his weight and body fat percentage must be below 295 pounds. He also has a benchmark for games he needs to play in; forty-one games guarantee him 40% of his money, fifty-one games guarantee him another 20%, sixty-one games guarantee him another 20% and if he passes the weight conditions then he is guaranteed all his money. Throughout the three NBA seasons that occurred, he has not been guaranteed any of his money. 

Zion’s body looks completely different, even weighing less than when he was in college. So, after six years in the NBA, he finally flipped the switch. 

Zion then said what we have waiting to hear, “I really felt a shift in my body to where I would look at him and say, this feels good to feel good, I haven’t felt like this since college, high school, where I can walk in the gym and feel good.”  

During this offseason the Pelicans hired a new general manager, Joe Dumars, a well-respected hall of famer with two championships under his belt, He had lots of goals to improve the team, and the organization wanted to give him a fresh start by trading Zion, who many saw as a liability to the franchise. but this wasn’t part of Joe Dumars plan, he didn’t want to get rid of the culture that Zion was a part of. He believed in Zion, something many people disliked. Even fans doubted Zion’s ability to stay healthy. Joe Dumars told the basketball world that Zion was going nowhere when he sent Zion to represent the Pelicans in the draft this off season. 

Zion credits Joe Dumars as being a key part to Zion’s improvement “I know he holds me to a really high standard and if I slip up or anything, I know he’s gonna be right there to make sure I get back on path,” said Zion.  

Zion also credits his trainer as a huge part of his transformation. His training now includes everything from boxing to agility drills on the football field, keeping him engaged while building strength and endurance. 

The transformation hasn’t just been physical; the pressure, doubt, and criticism took a mental toll as well. Unlike previous offseasons when hype died out before preseason, fans are going crazy this time around and for a good reason, popular Youtuber A.M. Hoops says “Zion looks great, this could be amazing.” Zion looks faster, stronger, and more focused than ever. If he stays healthy, he could finally be the star player the Pelicans have been waiting for, dominating on the court  

Zion has been a very skilled and talented player, but during his NBA career, his skills and talent have been overlooked by his weight. Maybe this season we will see Zion exceed expectations and dominate the league. 

Cover Image: NBA