(Ep056) Zeshaun Mirza: From Paratrooper to Coaching in China to Training Devin Booker
When someone has been an athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach in the NBA, D-League (now the G League) and the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA), you might assume they’ve worked in basketball forever. But in Zeshaun Mirza’s case, his professional journey began by jumping out of a plane. Signing up for the US Army out of high school, Zeshaun took an extra $300 a month to become a paratrooper attached to an artillery unit. Transport aircraft would drop two-ton howitzer guns and he'd parachute out to work on the trucks that pulled them.
After serving his country, Zeshaun decided to pursue his dream of going to college to become an athletic trainer. Meeting Bakersfield Jam head coach Will Voight while working a tryout, Zeshaun got his break when the team needed to replace head athletic trainer and Basketball Strong Podcast co-host Tim DiFrancesco, who was headed to work with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and the LA Lakers. After a baptism of fire, he stayed with the team for 4 years, before being offered the chance of a lifetime to join the Guangdong Southern Tigers in China as head strength and conditioning coach. Several seasons later, Zeshaun returned to the US, where he trained NBA All-Star Devin Booker for two summers, served the New Orleans Pelicans as an athletic trainer, and worked with James Johnson. During this time, he realized that basketball players needed portable training, mobility, and warmup tools in a convenient, travel-friendly package, and created the Z Kit.
In this episode, Zeshaun shares:
How his military service taught him attention to detail, courage under pressure, and situational awareness
Why these qualities served him well when he started working in professional basketball
How working as a strength and conditioning coach, athletic trainer, and in other performance roles made him more versatile
What he learned about the art of coaching while learning Mandarin and embedding in Chinese culture
Why thinking ahead, not taking things personally, and confidence are keys to success in basketball and life
Stay tuned to Zeshaun’s Instagram feed @zeshaun.mirza and up your game with the Z Kit at https://thezkit.com/
