Zion Williamson's Promising Statement After Showing Off New Appearance

There are a lot of questions left unanswered for the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of the 2025-26 season, chief among them being star Zion Williamson's ability to stay on the court and lead the team on an upward trajectory.

The start of Williamson's career surely hasn't gone exactly how he planned it, but the 25-year-old is hoping to turn some heads this season after an offseason spent training and working on his body in pursuit of both long-term health on the court and short-term success for the Pelicans franchise.

At media day on Tuesday, Williamson appeared noticeably thinner and discussed the training regimens he underwent during the summer to achieve that shape. He even made a bold proclamation about his current form that should get Pelicans fans excited for the upcoming campaign.

1️⃣ pic.twitter.com/odk5OHGc8j
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) September 23, 2025

"We came up with a plan, from boxing to working out on the football field a lot (0:08) to just different random workouts," Williamson said. "During that time frame last year, I really felt a shift in my body to where I would look at him and go, dude, it feels good to feel 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."

Taking The Next Step

Williamson has been undeniably great when he's on the floor, proving to be one of the game's most dangerous and efficient inside scorers with a penchant for making highlight reel blocks on the defensive end of the floor. The issue has been availability for Williamson, as he's reached the 70-game mark just once in his career and has played 30 games or less in three of his five NBA seasons.

Based on other comments Williamson made at media day on Tuesday, it's clear he's heard some of the narratives around his career and is desperate to change the perception of himself from someone who was just a really great prospect who fell short in the pros to a generational prospect who truly lived up to the hype and brought success to the franchise that drafted him.

Zion Williamson with a powerful statement on the difference between talent and greatness 👏

"Greatness is every day." pic.twitter.com/4yj5OL62y0
— NBA (@NBA) September 23, 2025

"Talent is more of a natural thing, like you can look at somebody and go okay, they're really talented," Williamson said. "Greatness is every day. Greatness is when you don't want to do it, when you want to do it. If you're facing crazy adversity, good, bad, no matter what's going on, greatness, you do it every day. You show up every day and you make it happen every day."

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Taking The Next Step

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