At the New Orleans Pelicans media day, it was evident that Zion Williamson worked to lose a massive amount of weight. After years of being criticized for being out of shape and his injury history, Williamson changed his mindset, which has led to a physical transformation. As he rehabbed his hamstring, Williamson and Pelicans trainer Daniel Bove devised a new game plan. 

"I gotta give that praise to Daniel Bove, trainer with the [Pelicans]," Williamson said. "Last year, while I was rehabbing my hamstring, me and him sat down and we had a conversation. He was just like, 'Z, we need to figure this out. When you come back from rehab, we want you to be better than before it happened. What are some things you like to do?”

"We came up with a plan, from boxing to working out on the football field a lot, to just different random workouts,” he continued

"During that time frame, last year, I really felt a shift in my body to where I would look at him and go, 'Dude, it feels good to feel good,'" he continued. "I haven't felt like this since collegel. Just, where I can walk in the gym, and I'm like, I feel good."

Williamson also noted that he spent a lot of time working with Teresa Weatherspoon. The five-time WNBA All-Star served as assistant coach for the Pelicans from 2020 until 2023.

Pelicans head coach Willie Green spoke about the changes he’s seen in Williamson.

"I saw his work this summer, his attention to his body, his conditioning. He understands that he wants to be available for his teammates,” he said. “When he's available, when he can step on the floor and be accountable to that, he's one of the best players in the NBA. So that's something that I saw this summer that he is working towards."

In his six NBA seasons, Zion Williamson has missed 268 games out of 482 total games, playing in 214 games. In the 2021-22 season he missed the entire season and was shut down early in the 2024-25 season due to injuries. He has missed games total more than the games he's played.