Stephen A. Smith finds another adversary every day. His blunt comments over the years criticizing Zion Williamson for his weight and dedication hit a fever pitch when Smith recently ranted about the New Orleans Pelicans star, saying he was a “food addict.”
Did Stephen A. Smith Take It Too Far With Zion Williamson Rant?
Plenty of people took exception to Smith’s rant, saying he took it too far and made it personal with the former No. 1 overall pick.
“You got people that are alcoholics, you got people that are drug addicts and stuff like that. What was Zion’s problem? Food! Food addict!” – Stephen A. Smith responds to Zion Williamson pic.twitter.com/5TdvA4FZPR
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) March 3, 2026
Emmanuel Acho said on his “Speakeasy” podcast that “Stephen A. [Smith] made it personal… He took it too far.” Acho took shots at SAS’s questionable basketball career at Winston Salem State and felt that discussing “rumors about hiding food under (Zion’s) bed” was a low blow.
New Orleans Pelicans Strike Back At Stephen A. Smith
The New Orleans Pelicans struck back at the expense of Smith following his comments regarding Williamson. The Pelicans told Smith to “stick to solitaire” while posting a video of his unimpressive college sports career on X.
Stephen A. Smith Retaliates Against New Orleans Pelicans Post
On Tuesday’s episode of “First Take,” Smith called out Williamson for the team’s post. He also proclaimed to be more famous than the entire Pelicans organization.
Stephen A. believes he’s bigger than most of the Pelicans organization
“My popularity is bigger than anybody on your team outside of Zion…65 games have been played and you’re still searching for your 20th victory. Yall are horrible”
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) March 4, 2026
“My popularity is bigger than anybody on your team outside of Zion…65 games have been played and you’re still searching for your 20th victory. Y’all are horrible,” he added.
“He’s played in 259 games in his career, he’s missed 275,” Smith said (12:34 mark). “You’re looking at him right now and you’re saying to yourself, ‘Of course he’s not a bust,’ because the brother can ball. He’s averaging 21 a game which is down from last year, down from the year before. …When he’s healthy and on the basketball court we know what he can do, it was just about his dedication to being available to do it.”
Zion recently came under fire for an interview he had on NBA today in which he blamed the media for misrepresenting his struggles throughout his NBA career. He’s managed to play in 46 games this season and managed to score 24 points in 33 minutes in a 110-101 loss to the L.A, Lakers on Tuesday night.