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ESPN personality Stephen A. Smith hurled criticism at the New Orleans Pelicans organization and rattled off many of his own accomplishments during a monologue that lasted more than nine minutes on Wednesday’s episode of “First Take.”
It occurred a day after Smith called New Orleans star Zion Williamson a “food addict” on air and the Pelicans social media team responded with a video montage of seemingly embarrassing clips of Smith from the 58-year-old broadcaster’s many years in the spotlight.
Here’s how we got to this point.
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‘It was nothing but negative criticism’
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Williamson has been listed as 6-foot-6, 284 pounds since New Orleans selected him out of Duke with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft. His weight and fitness level have been regularly criticized, and the amount of time Williamson has missed because of injuries hasn’t helped (including all of the 2021-22 season following offseason right foot surgery).
After playing only 30 games last season because of a left hamstring strain and a lower back injury, Williamson reported for 2025-26 looking trim and in shape. He told reporters that he and Pelicans trainer Daniel Bove had come up with a strategy to address his fitness while rehabbing his hamstring and that he stuck to it.
“I haven’t felt like this since college, high school,” Williamson said at the time, “where I can walk in the gym and I’m like just, ‘I feel good.’”
Williamson has played in 46 of the Pelicans’ 63 games this season, already the third-most games he has played in his seven NBA seasons. In a recent interview with ESPN’s Malika Andrews, Williamson addressed how the past criticism affected him mentally.
“I would say the most difficult point was when I missed my third year with a broken foot, and there was a lot of criticism on my weight, my care for the game, etc.,” Williamson said. “But … while people were saying what they’re saying — and everybody’s entitled to their own opinion, it is what it is — I’m in Portland rehabbing, not knowing if my foot’s gonna heal, and it was frustrating. It was very frustrating.
“I was low. I was really low because I just wanted to play basketball. I just wanted to play the game I love, but every time you turn the TV on, every time I check my phone, it was nothing but negative criticism, man. At the time, it did a lot, like I said, it did a lot, but it was a blessing in disguise, and I learned from it and I grew from it.”
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‘Stick to solitaire’
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Smith is one of the people who have been critical of Williamson’s weight and fitness. After a clip from Williamson’s interview with Andrews that included a portion of the above quote was played on Tuesday’s “First Take,” Smith noted that he is “very happy for” and “incredibly proud of” Williamson for the accountability he has taken for his career.
Smith went on to stress, however, that his criticism of Williamson over the years was completely justified and even encouraged by people close to the player.
“Nothing was made up,” Smith said. “The information that emanated out about Zion Williamson, yeah, it came from inside the organization. It came from people even closer than that to Zion Williamson, I’m gonna leave it at that — people that called up and encouraged us to get his a— because of some of the things that he was doing.”
Smith said he was once told that Williamson “got busted hiding food under his bed.”
“You got people that are alcoholics, you got people that are drug addicts and stuff like that,” Smith said. “What was Zion’s problem? Food! Food addict!”
The Pelicans’ social media team responded later in the day with a video on X that showed clips of Smith missing jump shots, not coming close to home plate with a first-pitch attempt, looking slow during a boxing workout and randomly falling down — set to 2008 audio of Smith criticizing the athleticism of former NBA player Kwame Brown.
“Stick to solitaire Stephen,” the team wrote in the post, a reference to a viral social media video that appeared to show Smith playing the card game on his phone while on hand for Game 4 of the 2025 NBA Finals.
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‘I am the American dream’
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Smith had plenty to say on the matter the next day. He was sure to make clear that he wasn’t criticizing Williamson or any other players and that he thinks the Pelicans could very well turn around their fortunes under executive vice president of basketball operations Joe Dummars, who was hired last April.
Smith said his comments were directed at the Pelicans’ social media team, although he did not hesitate to point out the organization’s shortcomings during his diatribe.
“I’m sort of like the American dream — poor, desolate, struggling, starving. Through the grace of God, the most wonderful mother on the planet and an individual that stepped up and worked my a— off, I’m at the top of the heap in this profession, and getting paid for it by the way,” Smith said. “My popularity is more than anybody you got on your team outside of Zion Williamson — again, not throwing any shade on the players, just giving you facts.
“Why am I bringing all of these things up, New Orleans Pelicans? Because you can’t, about you. We are approaching the tail end of the season. We are in the month of March. Nearly 65 games have been played, and you’re still searching for your 20th victory. Y’all are horrible. … Y’all have been trash. That is the reality of the situation.”
He added: “You have never been to a conference finals, but you got the time to clap back at me? Well, if you’re gonna do that, at least tell America why — it’s the only thing that can make you relevant. You and your social media department felt the need to come back at me and clap back at me because you want to make a statement. You want notoriety. You want publicity. You want to be noticed. Damn it. Half the world forgets you have a basketball team. That’s how bad y’all have been. …
“Little snot nosed, skinny a— black kid growing up poor in the streets of Hollis Queens, New York City, has risen to this level — I am the American dream. Me and millions of others, but I’m one of them. You guys have been an American nightmare to basketball fans all over the place.”
The post Stephen A. Smith called Zion Williamson a ‘food addict,’ is now feuding with the Pelicans on social appeared first on Los Angeles Times.
