Zion Williamson’s new max contract is providing the New Orleans Pelicans forward with ample motivation to keep his fluctuating weight in check.
The former Duke star signed a five-year, $193 million rookie max extension on his 22nd birthday earlier this month – a deal that could be worth as much as $231 million with incentives, but NoLa.com is reporting that the contract does have a potentially costly weight clause.
Williamson is reportedly required to keep the sum of his weight and body fat percentage below 295, according to the report. The team currently lists the 6-foot-6 bruiser at 284 pounds, which would mean he needs to have a body fat percentage below 11 to remain in good standing with the Pelicans.
Zion Williamson #1 works with Assistant Coach Teresa Weatherspoon of the New Orleans Pelicans before the game against the New Orleans Pelicans during Round 1 Game 6 of the 2022 NBA Playoffs on April 28
(Left) Williamson in April while rehabbing his foot injury. (Right) Williamson as a rookie with the Pelicans in 2019, when he weighed much less
ESPN’s Tim MacMahon claimed in December that Williamson’s weight may have reached as high as 330 pounds as he worked his way back from a botched foot surgery in July of 2021. The former NBA All-Star missed the entire 2021-22 season as a result of the foot surgery.
Williamson’s weight has been a major concern throughout his brief career, considering he’s played in just 85 games due to a string of lower body injuries. A recent ad campaign Williamson did with the soft drink, Mountain Dew, as well as some unflattering pictures of the South Carolina native drew criticism on social media.
Despite the injury issues, Williamson has proven to be among the league’s most efficient players, hitting 60.4 percent of his field goals and averaging 25.7 points a game while logging 31.7 minutes a night.
Williamson’s weight has been a major concern throughout his brief career, considering he’s played in just 85 games due to a string of lower body injuries. A recent ad campaign Williamson did with the soft drink, Mountain Dew (pictured), as well as some unflattering pictures of the South Carolina native drew criticism on social media
Incredibly, Williamson has averaged 0.81 points per minute in the NBA, which would qualify him for second in league history behind Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (0.83) and a head of Michael Jordan (0.72).
Murray says it is ‘disrespectful… almost a joke’ for people to think he doesn’t watch film
In his last NBA season, 2020-21, Williamson averaged 27 points over 61 games.
Weight clauses are common in the NFL, where offensive lineman have been known to struggle with the issue. Shaquille O’Neal famously battled his own weight issues in the NBA, and was rumored to tip the scales at around 400 pounds at one point late in his career.
Unique clauses in athlete contracts have been a theme this week, after it was revealed that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray had a homework requirement in his $230 million deal.
The former Heisman winner was being asked to study film at least four hours every week, but the team has since eliminated the clause amid uproar over its inclusion in the deal.
As NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed Monday, the former Heisman winner’s new five-year, $230 million deal includes an ‘independent study addendum’ requiring him to review four hours of game film per week throughout the season. Failing to comply would result in Murray being deemed to ‘be in Default,’ according to the contract language
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