Stephen A Smith calls Zion Williamson a 'food addict,' suggests Pelicans 'encouraged' him to rip NBA star

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It is no secret that Zion Williamson has had his struggles.

Nearly three years ago, the NBA star admitted to dieting struggles, and in a recent interview with ESPN, he said the lowest point of his career was missing his third season with a broken foot and being criticized for his "weight" and "care for the game."

ESPN star Stephen A. Smith has ripped Williamson on those critical issues in the past, and he did so again on Tuesday, going as far as to suggest that the New Orleans Pelicans actually "encouraged" him to attack Williamson.

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Left, Stephen A. Smith speaks onstage on day 2 of the 2025 HOPE Global Forum at Signia by Hilton Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia, on Dec. 2, 2025. Right, Zion Williamson (1) of the New Orleans Pelicans looks on against the Philadelphia 76ers at Xfinity Mobile Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Jan. 31, 2026. (Paras Griffin/Getty Images)

"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