Zion: 'It was a lot' to hear people criticizing weight

Zion Williamson admits all the talk surrounding his weight last season took a toll on him.

In an interview with Melissa Rohlin of Fox Sports, the New Orleans Pelicans star explained how difficult it was to hear people criticizing his weight while he was recovering from foot surgery.

"That's nasty because, with a lower-body injury, that dictates how you walk, that dictates how you run, how you do everyday activities, and how you move," Williamson said. "For the world to critique me like that, and all I was trying to do was make sure my foot was straight? It was a lot. I'm not going to lie to you - it was a lot."

It got to the point where even Williamson's mother and stepfather began expressing concern about his progress.

"I was like, 'Y'all relax, hearing it from y'all doesn't help me, and it makes it worse for me as a matter of fact,'" Williamson said. "So, when I broke it down like that, they understood. Once my foot heals, I'll get back on track."

To help get back on track, Williamson began working with a sports medicine and performance specialist and also hired a personal chef to prepare all of his meals from July through September.

"I don't know if I'm supposed to say the number, but I will say this: (He lost) well over 35 pounds, for sure," Williamson's personal chef Jhonas Lewis said. "We were dropping almost seven-to-nine pounds a week. By the third week, he started seeing the results. You couldn't pay Zion to put his shirt on."

Williamson is averaging 23.1 points, 6.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 steals across eight games this season.