Published 13:37 IST, July 3rd 2020
Zion Williamson's new workout photo gets compared to Bane by fans on social media
The New Orleans Pelicans released new workout photos ahead of the NBA restart at Walt Disney World, which sparked rookie Zion Williamson Bane comparisons.
- SportFit
- 3 min read
With less than a month to go for the NBA restart at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, NBA teams are returning to their training facilities. Several teams, including the New Orleans Pelicans, uploaded photos of their players training together. The Pelicans' recent photo of their star rookie Zion Williamson received attention online, as people compared the 19-year-old's photo to DC Comics' supervillain Bane, who was played by Tom Hardy in Dark Knight Rises.
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A few days after three unnamed Pelicans players tested positive for COVID-19, the team returned for their training at the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie, Louisiana. Zion Williamson, Jrue Holiday, JJ Redick, Josh Hart and Nicolo Melli were Pelicans players, who worked out together on Wednesday (Thursday IST). The photos released gave fans an insight into the player's post-quarantine look.
Fans noticed that Williamson had lost weight since the NBA season suspended on March 11. His look was shared online as they thought he resembled Bane and asked for his mask to be photoshopped over Zion's makeshift one. The pelicans had also shared a video of Williamson working out. The New Orleans Pelicans will start of the NBA restart on July 30 with their game against Utah Jazz (6:30 PM ET).
Zion Williamson Bane: Zion Williamson's debut was overshadowed by cruel fat-shaming comments
Zion Williamson made his NBA debut with the New Orleans Pelicans against the San Antonio Spurs. The 19-year-old had a slow start, scoring only 2 points in the first half. However, he picked up his pace in the final quarter of the game, scoring 22 points. 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 18 minutes. Williamson opened his night with an assist to Brandon Ingram and made 4-of-4 of his three-pointers while shooting 72.7% from the field.
However, Williamson was called out by NBA announcer Mark Jackson for being 'too fat'. Jeff Van Gundy added that the league never let 'fat' players play before. His weight was displayed on the screen instead of stats and people took to Twitter to body shame him by sharing memes and GIFs. Many fans defended Williamson, claiming that one should not body shame a 19-year-old and slammed Jackson for pointing out his weight.
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(Image source: New Orleans Pelicans official Twitter, still from Dark Knight Rises)
Updated 13:37 IST, July 3rd 2020