After over 500 days, it's been amazing to see Zion Williamson back on an NBA basketball court. Even better is the fact that Williamson is looking great in his return.
More than just the highlight dunks and counting stats, Williamson has looked great physically. Turn on a Pelicans game and it shouldn't take long to notice the transformation that has the 22-year-old looking like he's in the best shape of his life. Frankly, Williamson looks that way because he is in the best shape of his life.
@thesportingnews Zion’s offseason transformation has put the league on notice 🤯 #morph #nba #nbabasketball #pelicansnba #zionwilliamson #weightloss #fyp ♬ Such a Whore (Baddest Remix) - JVLA
After years of unfair criticisms around his weight and physique, Williamson has silenced critics with the transformation — a product of a strenuous offseason training regiment crafted to prepare him for a return to an All-Star level.
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Ahead of the season, The Athletic's Will Guillory and Sports Illustrated's Howard Beck each spoke with Jasper Bibbs, Williamson's personal trainer that created the offseason plan. In each reported piece, Bibbs provided insight into the efforts put forth by Williamson in order to get where he is today, from diet and nutrition to conditioning and injury prevention and, of course, work on the basketball court.
In early August, Williamson began to ramp up his preparation for the 2022-23 NBA season by making his way to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he would begin an eight-week plan of two-a-day workouts. While Bibbs declined to disclose just how many two-a-days he put Williamson through, we were granted key details to what a typical day looked like for Williamson.
Williamson would wake up before 5 a.m. and then make his way to Florida Atlantic University for conditioning work and a basketball workout, all of which would be done by 8 a.m. As explained by Beck, Williamson's morning of work would sometimes include a 30-minute spin class in the 130-degree temperatures of a Hotworx studio with the goal of burning extra calories, of course.
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After a full day that includes eating meals prepared by his chef, Jhonas Lewis, drinking nothing other than water and napping, Williamson would head to Nova Southeastern for a second basketball workout, completing his day at 9 p.m.
In retrospect, an outline of the rigors of Williamson's eight-week program shows just how much went into his transformation. The proof is in the results.
With a decreased body weight and body fat percentage, Bibbs says "I truly think he’s a better athlete now than he was before," something that even Guillory found to be unfathomable.
As he returned to action, Williamson did look like the best version of himself to date, scoring 25 points (on 50.0 percent shooting), pulling down nine rebounds and snagging four steals in New Orleans' statement win to open the season.
Pelicans fans have enjoyed the short-term results and given the work he's put in, the long-term outlook is just as promising.
How much does Zion Williamson weigh?
What's in a number? Ahead of the 2021-22 season and the 2022-23 season, Williamson is listed at 284 pounds on the Pelicans roster.
The above images that depict Williamson's transformation would indicate that there has been a change in Williamson's weight. In the interview with Guillory, Bibbs did not disclose how much weight Williamson had lost but acknowledged that the young star has made great progress in the last eight months.
In Beck's profile, Williamson himself declined to share his weight but did say that he is a far cry from rumors that said he had ballooned up to 330 pounds, saying "when I step on the scale when we start training camp, I wonder if there’s gonna be any rumors about that!"
While the actual figure remains unclear, it is clear that Williamson is in peak physical form.
