Where did Mike Bibby get his talent?

Fans who have skimmed Mike’s bio know that his pops, Henry Bibby, played in the NBA and might attribute his success to that. Mike’s own answer, though, is totally different. Yeah, he’s Henry Bibby’s son; but Mike makes sure you know that he is Virginia Bibby’s son, too. He points to his mom’s determination—and how she made sure her children developed that same quality—as the reasons he is where he is.

Carrying Virginia’s lessons with him through every high school, college and NBA training session, Mike made himself one of the best point guards in the League.

Bibby owns the lane. Sure, my man’s got a mid-range J and is money from downtown, but he’s really at his best when he’s on the move, slicing up late-reacting defenses. Whether splitting double teams, hitting acrobatic shots or dishing the rock, Bibby is one of the best at going straight at the heart of opposing teams’ defensive sets. What he does once he gets in the lane reflects his baller ability. But how he gets there results from what he does in a gym in Sac Town.

Bibby has been fine-tuning his moves with Al Biancani for almost six years—since the day he joined the Sacramento Kings. Over that time, Team B & B have been working to make Bibby the most explosive player off the dribble in the League. In the process, they’ve created a much stronger and higher-flying point man.

“First step quickness is so important,” Biancani says. “Bibby isn’t known for being blindingly quick; he’s sneaky quick. A lot of players use real jerky movements when they are trying to shake a guy. Not Mike. He’s much more fluid and subtle with his quickness. He lulls you, because it looks like he’s moving slowly. But once he makes his move, he’s by you. He’s one of the best in getting by a defender with that technique.”

Bibby’s moves might not be flashy, but the 6’2” guard’s stat line proves he can lull one fool after another. In 2005-2006, he racked up 6.4 assists and 21.1 points per game while averaging 38.6 minutes. On top of that, he went out and hit nearly 40 percent of his shots from behind the arc. For now, we’ll pass on figuring out how to shut this dude down. But we promise to let you in on what builds him up.

Biancani blends linear and lateral plyometrics, resisted movement and sport-specific work with the basketball to create this former Arizona Wildcat’s attacking style of play. Armed with the fortitude he learned from his mom, Bibby spends hours in the gym jumping on and off boxes and sprinting with rubber tubes tied around his waist. These exercises have helped him develop one of the greatest crossovers in the league.

Perform the following drills twice a week

Resisted Sprints

• Attach surgical tubing or sport cord around waist and have partner hold other end
• Beginning at baseline, sprint to half-court while partner provides constant resistance
• Rest for 45-60 seconds and repeat for 4 sprints
• Drop resistance and perform 10-15 explosive drives to the hoop dunking the ball or laying it in

Reps: 4 resisted sprints, 10-15 non-resisted drives

Why he does it: "Running against resistance makes your muscles fire harder. When the resistance is dropped, your muscles still know to fire harder. Drives without resistance add a sport-specific element. You get the same movement and foot placement you have in a game when you go to the hoop."

Lateral Box Jumps

• Begin on right side of box
• Jump left onto box
• Quickly jump off box to left
• Quickly jump right back onto box
• Quickly jump right off box
• Repeat in continuous fashion

Sets/Reps: 1-2 sets of 10-15 reps

Why he does it: “You don’t only move linearly in basketball. You have to be able to explode to the side as well.”

Box Jump with Drive

• Set up 18-24-inch box near three-point arc
• Jump onto box; immediately upon landing, jump forward off box
• Upon landing on ground, receive ball from partner and explode to hoop
• Dunk the ball or lay it in
• Walk back to box and repeat

Advanced: Set up two boxes, one in front of the other. Upon landing from first box, jump onto, then off second box. Receive ball and drive.

Sets/Reps: 1-2 sets of 10-15 reps

Why he does it: “This is all about explosive quickness. Being quick off the box and ground gets your eccentric and concentric contractions firing quickly.”