Former NBA All-Star Tim Hardaway came to the defense of Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry, who has been the subject of plenty of criticism about his weight.

Hardaway gave his thoughts to Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel:

"I want you to write this. Kyle Lowry is not fat. He’s not fat and overweight. He wears these football pads under him to make him look like he’s bigger. He's way slimmer than what you think he is. I've been telling folks that for the longest. And everybody’s like, 'No, he's overweight.' No, the guy is not overweight. It's that he needs to stay healthy to stay in shape."

Heat team president Pat Riley seemingly called out Lowry's conditioning after the end of last season.

"The bottom line with me and for me as far as hoping you can get the most out of a player … is that you have to be in world class shape, you just have to be," Riley said of Lowry.

There have also been plenty of jokes throughout social media, which extended to college football on Saturday from former NFL quarterback Robert Griffin III.

Hardaway is taking it personally after he had to deal with a weigh-in clause in his contract with Riley and the Heat during his playing career. The 56-year-old doesn't want to see Lowry go through the same issues.