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The quest to get Zion Williamson to reach his peak physical form has been an ongoing saga since he arrived in New Orleans in 2019. Though Williamson has dominated when he’s played, injuries and conditioning issues have kept him off the court and held him back from reaching his full potential. After sitting out the entire 2021-22 season due to a fractured right foot, Williamson has missed 141 games through the first three years of his career.

But Williamson and his camp believe they’ve taken a critical step toward solving those problems this summer.

The Pelicans star just returned to New Orleans after spending two months in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., executing a meticulous plan crafted with his strength and conditioning coach, Jasper Bibbs, to prepare for a pivotal year for him and the Pelicans. In an exclusive interview, Bibbs said the results have been “phenomenal.”

“He’s in fantastic shape,” Bibbs told The Athletic. “He’s been committed to putting in the work day in and day out. I’m really proud of what he’s been able to accomplish. He’s a better athlete now than he’s ever been.”

Bibbs declined to specify how much weight Williamson lost over the summer or his current weight, but he said Williamson has come a long way since they started working together in January.

“(His body composition) has improved at an extremely high level,” he said. “That’s all I’ll say.”

Bibbs spent five seasons as a member of the Utah Jazz’s strength and conditioning staff, beginning in 2016, developing a strong relationship with then-Jazz star Donovan Mitchell. That relationship was part of the reason Williamson hired Bibbs to be his strength and conditioning coach. The two worked closely together during Williamson’s midseason rehab stint in Portland and Bibbs continued to be a prominent figure once Williamson returned to the Pelicans in March.

Jasper Bibbs and Donovan Mitchell at All-Star Weekend. (Photo courtesy of Jasper Bibbs)

Once Williamson was fully cleared in May to participate in offseason activities without restrictions, the focus went back to what he cares about most: basketball. With Williamson’s blessing and input, Bibbs put together a plan that would help him overcome the physical and mental hurdles that come with being away from the game for so long. The result: a rigid eight-week program that involved two-a-day workouts and a specific nutrition plan during their time in Fort Lauderdale.

Below is a partial transcript from our conversation with Bibbs about the work he did with Williamson over the summer and what he expects from the star heading into the 2022-23 season.

(Some answers were edited for clarity and brevity.)

So, how did your relationship with Zion begin?

I was contacted by the family. I’ve been working with Zion for close to a year now. Our journey started in Portland during his rehab stint coming back from the fractured foot. We had to progress slowly, scientifically, gradually and safely. A lot of this was non-weight-bearing cardio in conjunction with rehabilitation methods daily, and treatments daily.

What has it been like seeing how he works in the gym and what he’s looking like now?

It’s been phenomenal. I’m very happy with his commitment and the progress he’s made, which has allowed him to be in such a great place mentally and physically. Ultimately, we wanted to make him a more resilient and very efficient athlete and allow him to perform at a very high level while staying healthy through the rigors of a full season and a playoff run.

This summer, we came up with a plan. He committed to the plan. We wanted Zion to not only have a great individual season, but we also wanted to focus on what he could do to help the team win. We wanted to develop him to be more resilient and to better handle the demands of being a very explosive athlete at his size.

We focused on addressing body composition — his body weight, body fat, etc. — while maintaining and improving flexibility, strength and power. We also focused on improving his overall fitness. The more weight he carries around, the more stress it puts on the body. We focused on aerobic and anaerobic basketball-specific conditioning. One of the main goals was to get Zion back to the same athletic ability he had before the injury. In the process, he’s improved athletically. I truly think he’s a better athlete now than he was before. Once you guys see him on the court, I think you’ll agree.

Wait, you think he’s a better athlete now?

He has tremendous speed and the ability to change directions without sacrificing speed, which is related to improved body control through training and multiple planes of motion. When you have such amazing body control for a man that size, it’s really rare. We wanted him to be able to handle those incredible forces he creates when he jumps, when he runs and, particularly, during those change-of-direction moves. It means he can decelerate, but then accelerate in a way that speed is not sacrificed, and being able to execute it safely.

Nobody at this stage of their career will be able to improve their body composition, their body control and overall athleticism without putting in a tremendous amount of work. He’s had a daily commitment during the summer, waking up early for 5 a.m. workouts and coming back for 7 p.m. workouts. He did it just like clockwork. The key was him buying in and realizing the plan was working and seeing the results.

How often were you guys doing those two-a-days?

I’d rather not say. But we put an eight-week plan in place, and I’m really happy with the results.

So, how did you come to a mutual agreement on what this eight-week plan would look like?

The plan originated once we went through the rehab stint and he was medically cleared to return to full activity on the court. Then, the offseason training began once the Pelicans were eliminated from the playoffs.

Did you have any expectations going into the job? Zion’s physical development has been one of the biggest storylines in the NBA over the past few seasons. What were you thinking coming in?

I thought it was a tremendous opportunity to help a young athlete. To be in this position at this point in my career and at this point in my life was truly a blessing from God. To be able to use my knowledge and my experience to help a young man and a young athlete was a big opportunity. I was very excited, and it’s been great working with him.

What was it like working with Zion during his time rehabbing in Portland? I know that was a very important time because he was dealing with so much mentally and physically. How did you help him through that process?

It was all about putting the work in daily. Being positive. Giving positive quotes every day. Continuing to help him through the rehab process. It was tough, but he definitely put in the work.

What did some of those days look like during the eight-week program? How hard were you guys going?

It all fit within the protocol of the program design. That goes from prehab, stretching, range of motion assessment, corrective exercise, basketball-specific conditioning and basketball-specific strength training. Focusing in on everything he’s going to need to be able to execute and to have a great NBA season.

As you mentioned, he has so many rare physical traits. How often was he doing stuff in the gym that even shocked you?

I’ve never seen an NBA player with his size that also has his level of speed and explosiveness while also having an exceptional degree of body control. He’s a generational talent.

Where do you feel like he’s made the most progress during the time you two have been working together?

I’m very happy with his commitment to not only his conditioning, but his commitment to doing all the tedious soft-tissue work, the stretching and his nutrition. He’s been phenomenal with his nutrition. I’m very happy about that for him. As he continues his NBA career, it’s amazing that he’s starting to develop these habits right now at such a young point in his career. It’s just phenomenal to see.

I know you don’t want to talk specific numbers, but how much have you seen his body composition transform over time?

It’s improved at an extremely high level. That’s all I’ll say.

How much focus have you put into injury prevention with the work you’ve been doing with Zion?

Injury prevention and his health have been the main focus of our program. This is part of his daily routine. It’s seven days a week. He’s shown great commitment in that area, working on flexibility, range of motion. All that kind of stuff.

How much was he involved with coordinating what the eight-week plan would look like?

He was very involved. One hundred percent. We all sat down and came up what it would look like together.

You get to see him every day. What do you think the reaction will be when he steps back on the court and shows everything you guys have been working on?

They’ll be excited. They’ll be excited to see such a generational talent playing the game he loves, the joy he shows on the court and the athleticism he brings to the game. I think people are going to be very excited. You can just see how happy he is when he gets to step on the court and show people what he can do.

It seems like you and Zion have been able to develop a strong relationship over time. Why do you think you two have been able to work so well together?

Through my time working with NBA athletes, it’s always been really important to me to be able to connect with the athlete to get them to buy into the program. I think it’s just being genuine and being able to educate the athlete on the importance of what we’re doing — strength and conditioning, soft-tissue work, hydration, nutrition, the range of motion at each joint. The body is a kinetic chain. If one thing’s out of whack, it affects the next.

During our time together, I think Zion has improved, and I’ve gotten better at working with him just because I’m around him so much daily. Building that rapport and putting in the work daily, he’s seen a tremendous amount of improvement, and he’s seen results within the program design. It’s allowed us to work together greatly.

A lot of NBA athletes talk about not focusing on things like nutrition, sleep — all the tedious parts of training you mentioned before. How much have you seen him take an active role in making all those things a part of his daily routine?

He’s laser-focused. He’s 100 percent committed. He’s taken accountability for so many of those areas of his health daily. We’re at the point now where there’s excitement and joy he gets from the daily work.

How much satisfaction have you got from seeing the plan you guys laid out and the way it’s been executed over time?

We’re very excited about all of it. I know I’ve said it a few times, but I’m just really happy with his commitment to improving his fitness and body composition. He never wavered, and his capacity to work at a high level improved accordingly because of everything he was doing on a daily basis. He’s done a fantastic job, and I’m very happy for him.

(Photo courtesy of Jasper Bibbs)

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