By Stefan Djordjevic/ info@eurohoops.net
Nicolo Melli joined the New Orleans Pelicans this season, as did Zion Williamson, and the two were bound to clash during practice. Zion’s athleticism is well-known and Melli admitted he was dunked on many times, however, he also ‘boasts’ that he managed to block at least one of them.
“Nobody believes it, but in practice, I blocked Zion Williamson. Yes, true, I took a lot of dunks on the head. But I blocked him. Don’t laugh, I really blocked him,” he said in the interview with La Giornata Tipo, and added. “Zion Williamson is not fat. Not at all. He has less fat mass than me. People say he runs badly. No. He is a human being different from the others. He is absolutely not fat and has athleticism that I have never seen before.”
As far as fat goes, Melli admitted food is his ‘sin’ and he tends to train more to make up for it: “I like eating too much. Too much… I train to justify everything I eat. Rather than give up pasta, I train more. I also told that to the Pelicans nutritionist.”
On that note, when you play in the NBA, there is never a lack of food: “First NBA game of my life, in pre-season. We are in Atlanta. I didn’t know how the pre-game lunch worked. When I saw the buffet room I was scared. There was much, much more food than there is was at my wedding with hundreds of guests.”