Stephen A. Smith on Pelicans shutting down Zion Williamson: ‘The word bust comes to mind’

Stephen A. Smith has undoubtedly been Zion Williamson’s most prominent critic throughout his six-year NBA career. And after news emerged that the New Orleans Pelicans were shutting down Williamson for the remainder of the season, Smith again made it a point to share his concerns about the big man’s future in the NBA.

As has been the case throughout Williamson’s career, the two-time All-Star was incredibly productive on the court this season, averaging 24.6 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game while shooting 56.7 percent from the field.

Unfortunately, whether it is due to weight problems, which Stephen A. has relentlessly attacked him for in the past, or simply sustaining freak injuries, Williamson’s body hasn’t been able to withstand the rigors of an NBA schedule throughout his career so far.

In his six seasons in the NBA, Williamson has played in 30 games or fewer in a season four times. And as a result, Smith was ready to slap the “bust” label on Williamson during Tuesday’s edition of First Take.

“I feel very, very bad for the Pelicans in the city of New Orleans because Zion Williamson is a star-caliber talent,” said Smith. “When he is on the court and healthy, he’s a monster. The problem is he’s rarely available. As great as he is, the word bust comes to mind, not because of his talent. I’m only talking about his availability. If you’re not available, it doesn’t matter how great you are. He’s almost never available. That is the situation. If you traded him right now, for example, do you realize you can’t ask for the farm for Zion? Or you can ask, but you ain’t going to get it because he hasn’t been available. And nobody is going to give that up, which leaves the Pelicans in a position, although they altered things contractually to their favor in some respects, you can’t expect but so much for him because his availability is what’s going to come into question.”

“The word ‘bust’ comes to mind, not because of [Zion’s] talent.” 😳 @stephenasmith reacts to the Pelicans shutting down Zion Williamson for the rest of the regular season. pic.twitter.com/OXEYLat5aX

— First Take (@FirstTake) April 1, 2025

The distinction for the word “bust” is obviously incredibly subjective. But when you think about some of the biggest busts in NBA history, players like Anthony Bennett, Kwame Brown, or Darko Milicic, you think of someone who in no way lived up to the billing of a top draft pick.

It’s fair for Stephen A. Smith to argue that Williamson hasn’t lived up to expectations thus far in the NBA, given how lofty his expectations were. But to throw Williamson in the same category as the other “busts” throughout the history of the NBA, who were far less productive than he has been, seems like a bit of a stretch.