Zion Williamson had to answer an awkward question at his first Pelicans news conference
New Orleans Pelicans big man Zion Williamson is used to answering strange questions by now. He’s done enough interviews that he can navigate through awkward exchanges with ease.
With that said, it was jarring to hear Williamson field this weird question at his first news conference with the Pelicans.
This dude really asked Zion if he was in shape, at his opening press conference....
wut pic.twitter.com/vnftGHwNKn— Chris Montano (@gswchris) June 24, 2019
That was Pelicans play-by-play man Joel Meyers asking Williamson, “Are you in shape?” The 18-year-old Williamson plays it off, saying, “I don’t think you guys would have drafted me if that was the case, but I think I’m in pretty good shape.”
That interview took place Friday, but the video of the exchange started circulating Monday.
While that’s a weird — and potentially insulting — question, Meyers was trying to make a point about Alvin Gentry’s offense, which involves a lot of movement and aggressive play. Meyers was able to get his point across with his next question, when he gets Williamson to confirm he’s been told to “push it” up the court after he grabs a rebound.
Even if the question had a point, it’s still an odd thing to ask the No. 1 overall draft pick. As Williamson suggests, if he was out of shape, he wouldn’t have gone that high.
In the end, it’s not a big deal. Williamson’s relationship with the Pelicans isn’t ruined over a poorly phrased question about his conditioning.
Still, it’s not the ideal way to start things with your new franchise player either.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
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