Stephen A. Smith is taking on another NBA star. This time, he had some harsh words for New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson.
On Tuesday’s episode of First Take, Smith shared his thoughts about Williamson being ruled out for the remainder of the season because of a lower back contusion suffered last month. While Smith believes that Zion has the potential to be a true superstar in the NBA, he labeled him a “bust” because of his history of missing games.
“I feel very, very bad for the Pelicans and the city of New Orleans,” said Smith. “Zion Williamson is a star-caliber talent. When he’s on the court and healthy, he’s a monster. The problem is he’s rarely available. And as great as he is, the word ‘bust’ comes to mind. Not because of his talent, I’m only talking about his availability. If you’re not available, it doesn’t matter how great you are. And he’s almost never available.”
Smith went on to say that it would be difficult for the Pelicans to navigate a trade involving Williamson because his lack of availability would deter the interest of other teams.
But the Pelicans hit back at Smith calling his critique of Williamson “baseless.” Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Pelicans shared that their video of Stephen A.’s lowlights garnered an award nomination.
According to Sports Illustrated, Williamson played in 30 games this season averaging 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists. Over the course of his career, Williamson had played in more than 60 games in just two of his six NBA seasons. In total, he has played, 214 career games.
“Good day to announce that our Stephen A. Smith highlight video has been nominated for best sports social video in the @TheWebbyAwards,” the post read.
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