Illustrating Zion’s Comeback

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When Howard Beck first walked into the gym at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton in August, he expected to find photographer Jeffery A. Salter and Pelicans star Zion Williamson on the basketball court, where the portrait session for Sports Illustrated’s basketball preview cover was supposed to take place.

But Salter had other ideas once he arrived. Though the plan was for him to convert the gym into a makeshift studio while Williamson finished up his 5:30 a.m. workout, the photographer saw a large storage room off the gym that caught his eye. Carts of volleyballs and the other equipment that filled the space would eventually be occupied by lights, cameras and the 6’6”, 284-pound Williamson.

Accompanied by his mom, stepdad, trainer and barber (there for any touch-ups as needed), Williamson had a cohort of people to keep him company and make sure he looked his best. It was Salter, ultimately, who set up the scene to perfectly capture the narrative that Williamson is embracing this season: a story of revival post-injury.

In one image, Williamson is framed by a golden light, which is peeking out from behind him, as if it’s finally starting to overshadow the challenging days he opened up to Beck about in the cover story.

“I was in dark places at times,” Williamson told Beck, “because I couldn’t play basketball. I could only do limited rehab things. And then just seeing how the world reacted? It took a lot. It did a lot on my spirit.”

Salter came into the session with a vision for what he wanted the portraits to look like—and he executed, Beck says. It was clear throughout their time that they were in Salter’s domain (even if that “domain” was an equipment closet). Like any great coach in an NBA arena, Salter led 22-year-old Williamson through the session.

As the first pick in the 2019 draft (and a star in the public eye since he was as young as 15), Williamson is no stranger to portraits and interviews. But after injuries kept him from playing consistently during the three seasons since he entered the league, the lead-up to this season is special to him as he makes his comeback.

During the hour-and-a-half session, Salter kept his laptop out alongside his camera setup. As he took the forward’s portraits, Salter—who has captured the likes of LeBron James, Serena Williams and Joe Burrow—made sure to show Williamson the photos as they came in. Beck noticed how excited Williamson and his family members were looking at the photos in real time.

“That was kind of cool, just to see, within seconds afterwards, [Williamson] looking at photos of himself and really jacked up about how amazing they looked,” Beck says. “He seemed to really be incredibly comfortable.”