New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson hasn' felt this good since college, he said about his weightloss, which was downplayed by former NBA guard and podcast host, Jeff Teague. After making headlines over the summer, Williamson's new figure wowed reporters at Media Day. Pelicans forward Trey Murphy commended Zion for his hardwork, adding the veteran is in a good place mentally ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.

Still, Teague criticized the moment, reminding everyone that Williamson's weight was an issue he did to himself, Teague said, per his Club 520 Podcast.

“This is probably the dumbest press conference I’ve ever heard in my life. All this stuff is because of you. You choose to eat, be out of shape, all of that,” Teague said. “Now, all of a sudden, it’s a contract year, probably, or he’s looking for an extension. All of a sudden, he’s in shape and they believe in him. Fool, they gave you a max deal. They’ve been believed in you. But they had to put all those options on there because you didn’t believe in you.”

Williamson is entering the third year of a five-year, $197.3 million extension. However, his current deal comes with stipulations, including a 295-pound limit and body fat monitored. An All-NBA selection also triggers a 30% increase in salary, which can top out at $231 million if the terms are met throughout the duration of Zion's current deal. To Teague's point, Williamson has a lot to play for between now and the end of his contract with the Pelicans.

Zion Williamson reveals Pelicans' weightloss plan for 2025-26

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) takes part in media day at Ochsner Sports Performance Center
Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Article Continues Below

Pelicans forward Zion Williamson says a plan was in place for him to lose weight over the summer, which paid dividends based on his appearance at Media Day. Williamson's new look was the talk of the day for the Pelicans' media. It's an ideal start for Zion, heading into his seventh season.

“We came up with a plan. From boxing to working out on the football field a lot. It's just different, random workouts,” Williamson said. “And during that time frame last year, I really felt the shift in my body to where I was looking [at myself] and going, ‘Yo this feels good. This feels good.' I haven't felt like this since college, high school just where I can walk in the gym and I'm like, ‘I feel good.'” Williamson concluded.

The Pelicans will begin training camp this week.