Barkley knows what it’s like to be entering the league overweight.
After injuring himself in his first NBA Summer League game, Zion Williamson has been criticized for being out shape and needing to lose weight. Zion is listed at 6’7″ and 285 pounds which is pretty heavy for a player his age and size. Some analysts say he needs to lose at least 20 pounds if he wants to get into game shape. These pundits say if Zion can’t lose weight, he will be putting too much strain on his joints which would increase his risk for injuries.
Charles Barkley made an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up! this morning and gave his opinion on Williamson’s situation. When Barkley came into the league, he was 6’6″ and weighed 300 pounds. As he explains, he had to lose 50 pounds was able to do so with the help Moses Malone. With this in mind, Barkley would know a thing or two about overweight basketball players. According to Barkley, Williamson looks like he’s in shape and isn’t “fat at all.”
“I was fat,” Barkley said. “They’re gonna have to do some really interesting tests on Zion’s body, because he doesn’t look fat at all. I was fat so I needed to lose weight. I don’t know what Zion’s perfect body weight will be. I thought 300 was my perfect playing weight in college. I had to lose 50 pounds to become a Hall Famer. I think he’s got a great system in New Orleans. I love David Griffin and Alvin Gentry, but they’re going to have to come up with a comprehensive plan to see what the perfect playing weight is.”
In the few minutes Zion got to play, he made some solid dunks although he was severely outplayed by the NBA talent that was on the court.