As New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson was suspended for one game, there have been people within the basketball world who are criticizing the forward for his behavior off the court. While Stephan A. Smith spoke about Williamson, his co-star on “First Take” Shannon Sharpe gave his thoughts on the career of the Pelicans star and threw jabs at possible eating habits.

Sharpe was on the aforementioned program and expressed how sports media personalities care more about Williamson's career than he does himself. Within that, he would say that instead of being on the court playing for New Orleans, he's been more at “the food court.”

“It is becoming, apparently, abundantly clear, it's coming crystal clear that a lot of us want something more for Zion than Zion wants it for himself. And that lies the problem. Zion has spent a lot of time on the court. It just happened to be in the mall, it's the food court. You missed 27 games, it's not like they sprung this trip on you.”

“He knew they were traveling out of town, and you're late, and Chris Haynes reported, Willie Green even brought it up,” Sharpe said. “He alluded to there were things that led up to this. You're absolutely right. Nobody wants to suspend the superstar, star player, and they normally don't have to. Why? Because professional is a term that describes your occupation. Zion Williamson is a professional basketball player, but he's not a pro, which means how he handles his business.”

Shannon Sharpe says Zion Williamson needs a “change of eatery”

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) reacts during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden.
Paul Rutherford-Imagn Images

Willamson would hold himself accountable after the one-game suspension after he was reportedly late to a team flight as Sharpe would double down on his sentiments, hurling more haymakers about the rumors of the star's eating habits. So far, he's played eight games this season where he has averaged 21.8 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the field.

“Zion needs a change of scenery, no, he needs a change of eatery,” Sharpe said. “Stop going and eating everything that you see, bro. That's embarrassing. It is embarrassing that we still having this conversation. You miss half the time that you've been in the NBA, and you think that's okay, you think you can force your way out by moping, pouting, missing all this time, showing up late, it is hard to stay in shape when you're a professional athlete and you miss time because you're not running up and down the court, you're not being able to do what you need to do to keep your weight down.”

“The problem is, guys like Shannon Sharpe, Stephen A. Smith, Charles Barkley, Shaq, and other guys care more about Zion's career than Zion cares about it,” Sharpe said. “Until Zion wants this for himself. We're going to have this conversation again. This is not the last time we're going to talk about Zion.”

The Pelicans have an abysmal 8-32 record which puts them last in the West.