The New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson will have to remain slim if he wants to keep all of the money from his five-year, $193 million max extension. According to Christian Clark of NOLA.com, Williamson’s deal came with a weight clause that could affect the deal’s guarantee money if breached.
Reportedly, the clause stipulates that Williamson will have occasional weigh-ins that will allow the Pelicans to monitor his weight. The “sum of his weight and body fat percentage” has to be below 295 according to the clause, or the amount of guaranteed money in the extension can be reduced.
Williamson has struggled with weight issues since arriving in the NBA as the first overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. This was especially the case during his injury rehabs when his weight ballooned well over 300 pounds. The Pelicans reportedly believe Williamson’s larger frame is making him more injury prone, and this clause is probably one of their attempts to encourage him to be slimmer.
Injuries have limited Zion Williamson to just 85 games in the past three seasons. However, when he was on the court, he showed why he might be one of the game’s next big stars. In 2020-21, in which he played 61 games, Williamson averaged an impressive 27.0 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists per game.
