The criticism surrounding New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson has been loud throughout the entirety of his now five-year NBA career. When he has been able to stay on the court, he has been one of the more effective players in the league, and very few of his negative critiques were about his play or skill level. But when it comes to his health and his weight, there are pundits who have plenty to say when it comes to Williamson.

NBA Drama: Stephen A Smith And Pelicans’ Social Go Back And Forth

flock it, Stephen A. Smith highlights. pic.twitter.com/jWdaEBeTis

— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) February 23, 2024

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith has long been one of the loudest voices of criticism for the 23-year-old, and his opinion has been heard loud and clear this week. On Get Up on Friday morning, Smith was asked about which NBA teams were under the most pressure for the home stretch of the season, and the topic was turned, once again, to Williamson and his weight:

Zion Williamson, it’s not about his game. It’s about how many burgers he’s eating. Whether he is going to be in shape or keep eating McDonald’s… That’s what he has to prove, that the chefs don’t love him any longer

The shots were apparently heard immediately, because the social media team for the Pelicans wasted little time in responding. Across their platforms, the verified account released a video mocking Smith’s athletic accomplishments, which featured him air balling shots and falling down on the court while trying to dribble. They even showed his lowly statistics from college. The entire 27-second clip has a voice-over of Smith criticizing Williamson.

Williamson Hasn’t Missed 2 Games In A Row All Year

LESS!!! Can’t score when you can’t play due to a devastating knee injury. That’s my fact. Now……what’s y’all excuse for never winning anything

Can’t wait to see y’all in April. May and June We won’t even go there! Good Luck! Tell my boys…Coach Green and CJ I’m always… https://t.co/1G9ZzwFPbF

— Stephen A Smith (@stephenasmith) February 23, 2024

Things got even more interesting within an hour. Smith fired back quickly, quoting multiple tweets from the Pelicans official account, explaining the reasons why his college career was cut short. He was sure to take a shot at the franchise, too, sarcastically saying that he’ll see them in April, but not in May or June.

The Pelicans have been one of the more consistent teams in the Western Conference so far this NBA season, and have won 8 of their last 10 games and are sitting in the 5th seed. Williamson has played in 45 of a possible 56 games, and hasn’t missed back-to-back games a single time yet this season.

He is averaging 22.5 points per contest, down a bit from last year, but he has also seen a slight decrease in his playing time and usage.