Zion Williamson Recently Signed $193M Contract Extension With a ‘Weight’ Clause Included
Zion Williamson Recently Signed $193M Contract Extension With a ‘Weight’ Clause Included
Last week, the sports world reacted to an “Independent Study” clause in Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray‘s recent contract. Now, there are reports that NBA basketball player, Zion Williamson has a “weight” clause built into his recently inked contract.
According to NOLA, the New Orleans Pelicans signed Williamson to a very lucrative extension earlier this month that can net him as much as $231 million over the life of the contract. As usual, these agreements typically come with incentives that can earn an athlete more money. Making an All-NBA team, winning Most Valuable Player, or being named Defensive Player of the Year during the season will add some more money to his pocket.
With this particular deal, the NBA team included a stipulation that he has to stay below a particular number when it comes to his weight and body fat percentage. He will have to submit to regular weigh-ins throughout the just-completed contract. Williamson will have to keep the sum of his weight and body fat percentage below 295. Not doing so can reduce the amount he receives in the contract.
Since the Pelicans drafted Williamson No. 1 overall in 2019, he has struggled to stay in shape. Williamson played only nine minutes in Summer League before his rookie year. He was shut down after bumping knees with a player on the New York Knicks. His poor conditioning played a part in New Orleans’ decision to sit him out for the remainder of Summer League.
Due to injuries that have affected his professional career, Williamson has not even played in 100 games total in three seasons in the NBA. In the three seasons, he has only played in 85 games between the 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 seasons and missed all of last season with a fractured foot.
According to NBA.com, when he signed the latest deal last month he stated, “The last few months were a roller-coaster of emotions. The world just ran with narratives, and so when my family was going out in public, they’re getting harassed by people about why we don’t like New Orleans or why we don’t want to be here, when that’s not the case at all.
“I wasn’t able to play because my foot was broke,” Williamson said. “Every time I checked my phone it’s always something negative. Even when you’re trying to make positive of the situation, it was very tough.”
Zion Williamson Recently Signed $193M Contract Extension With a ‘Weight’ Clause Included