Extended Interview: Victor Wembanyama on playing style, training and life off the court

What did you do this past summer to. nourish your spirit? >> To nourish my spirit, uh I think there was one main thing was. just being in France, hanging out there, even when I. practiced, you know, seeing my siblings, my family, my. friends almost every day, so. nothing comes close to this in terms of. nourishing my spirit. >> No no monastery, but you get to go back. home. >> Exactly. >> You said a few times, "Basketball is. really hard.". >> Mhm. >> What specifically is hard about.

basketball to you? >> It depends. In this league, in the NBA, what's hard is showing up every single. night over a long year. But uh. when you take a step back, really it's. it's not a hard life. No, it's is it. like uh demanding? Oh, yes, very. demanding, but not a hard life. >> What's the most demanding part of. basketball? >> I would say it's a sport where just. effort is not enough. And just being a. technical player is not enough. You have.

to have a mix of both. >> Talk about that. You're putting the ball. on the floor, you're you're dribbling, you're dunking in traffic, you're. shooting the three, blocking shots. What. part of basketball specifically brings. you the greatest joy? >> I think alley-oops. in particular, because alley-oops are. team play and also a dunk. I like. alley-oops. >> It's like a telepathy. >> Yeah, exactly. Yeah. >> You ever You ever thrown an alley-oop? >> Of course I have. >> So you You've been the recipient. >> more than I've thrown it, of course, as. I should, but I've thrown a few, for.

sure. >> No one's ever played the game like you. No one has had your combination of size. and skill set. There's no blueprint. here. So how are you figuring out. how to train, how to pace yourself, how. to even envision your career when no. one's done it before you? >> It's true. It is a difficulty, first of. all, because of the player that I am, but also being. a foreigner here, growing up in totally. different environment. And uh I think the key is being. comfortable not knowing, being.

comfortable. finding out my own answers. Are you. comfortable? I am comfortable not. knowing my answers. I am comfortable. walking through the fog. >> What's it like when you make it through. the fog? When you figure something out? >> There's brief moments where my head. peaks through and then I see the sun. Yeah, they're they're great. Last year. there was this, I think the month of. February, we didn't lose a single single. game. This is these moments where everything. clicks, you know. >> You were born after the Spurs had. already started winning championships.

When you were a kid, what was your. impression of this franchise, this. organization? >> The franchise with the greatest coach of. all time. The franchise with a a big French. history as well. Yeah, just winning, a winner's. franchise, you know. >> Greatest coach of all time, you're. you're talking about Pop. >> Yeah. >> Talking about Gregg Popovich, who you. played for and got very close to. What's. the most important thing he ever told. you? >> One lesson that often comes up. is uh about humility. He often said.

something when we were in film. after a win, you're rarely as good as. you thought you were. And after a loss, you're rarely as bad as you thought you. were. So, never too high, never too low. >> Sounds easier said than done. >> Mhm. And I've. I've made that mistake before. >> You didn't just dream of playing in the. NBA. >> Mhm. >> You learned English in part cuz you. thought it would make your life easier. when you got to the NBA. >> Mhm. >> Now that you're here, how much does it. align with what you had imagined as a.

kid? >> The NBA? >> Yeah. >> It's all It's everything that I. imagined. I think as a NBA player, and. if you're if you're amongst the also the. stars of this league, you really make your career whatever you. want it to make it. Of course, every. you're always going to do your best on. the court, the best that you can. But on the side, you can choose to be. the the influencer, you can choose to be. the philanthropist, you can choose to be. the the guy that's going to promote. gambling and alcohol. You can choose whatever you want. So,

it's really everything that I imagined. >> Someone said, "What did you choose? You. You have all these options. What did you. choose?" What would you say? >> I think my choice isn't final because. I'm still growing as a person, but I. want to promote. uh. healthy things and healthy I don't I. don't mean just the food, but. uh healthy habits, things that make people's lives better, uh and things that and in the future. also things that make society better, hopefully.

>> Where do you get that? >> I don't know. I have a. I think my family. most more than anything else. >> I want to make sure I get this right, so. I want to read this. You. You recently said, "As as the years go. by, I have fewer and fewer filters. I'm. less afraid to say what I think.". >> Mhm. >> For most athletes, it's sometimes the. opposite. >> Yeah. It's been the opposite for me at some. point, of course, but. feel like I've I've grown past. that edge. >> Was there a moment when you said, "I. don't want to be guarded anymore?".

>> Uh yeah. There is. I think the the the condition I had. early 2025, uh the thrombosis, it's uh. had a huge huge impact on this. >> He's referring to a blood clot he. suffered in his shoulder in 2025, which. shut down his second season. >> After that, it's like life's so short. I. don't I don't even want to. waste it being somebody else, you know? Simple as that. >> You were up front last year.

"I should have won the MVP." You made a. strong case. I'm guessing your your. views haven't changed on that. >> You should have won the MVP? >> It's what you said. >> Did I? >> Should you have won the MVP last year? >> Uh. no. I should win it this year, though. >> Last year in the finals, you were. portrayed as a villain. Correct me if I'm wrong. I didn't get the feeling that bothered. you. >> No, it didn't because it's I'm not.

paying attention to this the during the. finals. I don't think any player on. either team really is. >> I wondered if you didn't show him this. is part of my character, too. Edgy. Wemby, whatever it is, but you showed a. new side of yourself. >> It showed my limits more than. anything else. Going out there, you need to play basketball. You don't. need to be bigger than people. >> [laughter]. >> If you want to win, at least. >> You got to the finals. >> Mhm. >> When you think back to the playoffs, what specific moment do you replay the.

most? >> I think there's two, uh, I think. uh, games get There's three. I would say. game one in OKC, game seven in OKC, and game four in New York. >> Why game four in New York? >> Because it's, uh, the most intense. heartbreak moment. in, uh, in my career. >> I want to ask you about chess.

>> Mhm. >> Explain the basketball chess overlap. Is. there a basketball chess overlap? >> Yes, there is. I find that chess is a lot about. decision-making, and that looks like basketball a lot, at. least in theory, because there are some. theoretical good moves. >> As opponents go, how tough was Louise? >> Was she the last one with the glasses? >> Yeah. >> She was a She was tough. >> [applause]. >> Do you remember your chess games? Do you.

play them back in your head? >> Some of them, yes. >> What What do you remember about them? >> The blunders. >> You remember the mistakes, the. turnovers, the the dribbling off your. knee? >> Yeah. You remember them. >> Are you getting better? >> At chess? >> Yes. >> Uh, right now, no. Sometimes in the summer, yeah. But during the year, not not that much. >> We'd heard that sometimes when you do. cardio, when you do your conditioning, you're playing chess at the same time. >> It's been a while. I mean, as I said,

it's decision-making. >> What does that even look like to do your. cardio while playing chess? >> So, it's, uh, It Often it's on the bike, and they they set up like a big box on. the left or on the right. And they they put the chessboard on top. And I play against the front office. guys, which are really smart and really. good at chess for a lot of them. And uh. sometimes I beat them, sometimes they. beat me. >> We've heard of handicaps in chess. I'm. not sure I've ever heard of someone. doing the exercise bike while the. opponent's just uh sitting there.

>> like I go say it's a I don't know uh. sometimes it it could be 4 minutes and 1. minute rest, you know, some some like. this. And during the rest, that's when I. play. >> Why do you train the way you train? >> So, I think this the way I train is. always changing. I'm always trying to. learn and meeting new people. And why? Because, first of all, I'm. curious. Second of all, because I want to do. what's best.

And also, I want to do what's best for. me. It's different for everybody. So, why do I train the way I train? Because uh big men have always had feet. problems. And uh I also find more and more that. feet are responsible for so much more. that goes. on. It's funny cuz I was just talking to. a rookie. I went to the to practice barefoot. And he sees me walking without shoes, and he was like, "I didn't know you. could just not wear shoes.". >> You said you've learned that feet are.

very important. >> Yes. >> For an athlete, for a basketball player, for you. >> Mhm. >> What do you do to protect the feet? >> Strengthening them. And I think strengthening them. First of all, it it takes time. I'm. better right now than I was 2 years ago. Even better than I was 5 years ago. But the the feet have. mhm very intricate muscles, much more. than what we're taught about in you. know, there's um. I try to work barefoot as much as I can. And wear uh minimalistic shoes. Those.

aren't minimalist, those are maximalist. It does get a thick sole, you know. They're looking nice, though. If you. want to They look very nice. >> But these are what you wear to go really. easy on the feet. You're not going to. pound them. You just slip those on. >> wear for 60-minute interviews. >> But you're you're you're cool walking. around barefoot, though. >> Yeah, of course. So, you basically you need to you need to. strengthen your feet. And what shoes do. like shoes like yours, for example, they. don't respect the natural shape of the. foot. So, they don't allow it to work the way.

it's supposed to. But And what I mean by that is splaying. and applying force down through the toes. and through the toes and through the. base of the big toe, especially. And um. what's what this is going to bring you. if you got a good foot strength, which. brings a good foot posture, everything. else can develop the right way. Knee, hip, and back, everything. And then you can strengthen everything. in the right direction. >> If basketball doesn't work out, podiatry.

You have you have a future. >> We'll see. >> I wonder if someone as curious as you. enjoy sort of hacking. the training of all of it. I mean, the. the the games are great, but you've got. to stay in shape. >> So, it kind of goes back to. if I understand that well, it kind of. goes back to being comfortable in. walking through the unknown. Because. no Yeah, nobody has trained. nobody like me. First of all, I doubt that there's anybody else like. me. But nobody is like me or similar to me.

has trained the way I'm training. And. I'm trying to figure out the answers. And I'm checking boxes. And uh sometimes. I try something. Nope, it's not working. We push it aside, try on to the next. thing, and we work on from there. >> You appreciate that most other athletes, there's always someone before them or I. can follow this path. You don't have. that. >> a It is a uh difficulty that I face, yes. But. I've known I signed up for that. I've I. know that it's lonely up on the.

mountaintop. >> Doesn't that also kind of make it fun? You're charting your own path. >> I wouldn't want it to be different. >> Last summer you trained at a. Chinese monastery famously. >> Mhm. >> Did you get into the meditation? How'd. you do with it? >> Uh. it was hard because they push you to the. next level. It was really hard. I think the first. very first day. it was an hour 40 of meditation. Silence.

to complete silence. It was crazy. It was really hard. >> You'd never done anything like that. >> Nothing close to that. >> What was the longest you could go. meditating? >> I was probably like sitting for 30. minutes. And then a an hour and a half wondering. how much longer is it going to. go on for? Yeah. >> Someone told me you meditate briefly in. between free throws. >> Mhm. You could call that meditation I. guess. >> Where do your thoughts go? >> I think centering back. Uh you know, thinking that it's it's I.

think of it as just a regular shot. because when you try to make it too. technical, it becomes like a robot. >> You're trying to think about nothing or. think about something very specifically? >> Nothing for a second and then focusing. on making the shot. >> Do you know your free throw percentage? >> 82. >> I was going to say it's like 82% you're. doing something right. >> We better. >> You appreciate that never mind athletes. not all people have your level of. curiosity.

>> Yeah, it's the defining trait of mine. >> Historically some players have resisted. San Antonio. It's a small market. There. are no beaches. It doesn't maybe have. the nightlife of Miami or Val d'Isere. You you wanted to come here. >> Yeah. >> Why? >> Because of the franchise, because of the. the history. I know this is where I. belong. >> It's your fourth year. It's the Jackals. second year.

>> Mhm. >> That's right. >> What are we looking for this season from. the Jackals? >> Uh I hope some new members first of all. I know it's going to happen. Some more. seats in the arena hopefully. And. uh also some inspiration some more. inspiration from overseas great. examples. >> What's the vibe you're going for? >> I think the vibe I'm going for is with. time to become something intimidating, you know, something. powerful in the community.

Something inspiring as well because it. feels like we're in a new era of the. Spurs, you know, there's been different. momentums over the years and it feels. like we now we got a young core. We. shouldn't be a lottery team anytime soon. after being a lottery team for some. years. We're in a new era. Feels like fandom for the Spurs deserves. also a new era, you know, and deserves. a new level of involvement and I want to. allow this the fans that want to to be. involved like this. And if I can show.

them. a little bit of what I've seen, what. I've experienced first hand, if they're. in on it, let's go. We're going to. become like the the PSG ultras or the. the Panathinaikos, you know, one day. One thing at a time, but this is what. I'm going for. We're trying to be one of one. >> You had a number of teammates that you. hosted in Paris over the summer. What. did you want to show them about your. country, your culture? >> I wanted to show them, you know, the the.

refinement at times, but also how I I I. would take care of them, you know, because it's. it really matters to me, but it it did. more for me than for them that they. came. >> Why? >> Because I don't know, I just take it. very it goes straight to my heart. >> What about the reverse? When friends and. family in in France say, "What's it like. living in the US?". >> When they ask me what's what it's like. to live in the US, my answer is always, "Well, I don't know because I I don't. live a normal life.

in the US. I live the life of an. athlete, of a a rich person. You know, the life of somebody that's. going to have everything taken care. taken care of, you know, no matter what. I do really. So, it's not it's not the life of a an. regular American. >> [snorts]. >> But, um. it's is the best country to be an. athlete in. >> You acknowledge you don't live a typical. existence here. But, you But, even so, what about this country has struck you? >> Good or bad? >> One of each.

>> Good is how, like, you never It feels like you're never. judged. for being ambitious. Bad, I would say, uh. I think the. social interactions. are more shallow here. More uh not as. in-depth as uh what I've seen in other. countries. >> Jordan was 28 when he won his first. title. LeBron 27. What's your relationship with patience? >> Love-hate relationship.

>> Say more. >> I think. the best. thing to do is to have it, to have. patience, while trying to fight it. as well. Basically, you trying to take all the. lessons that patience can bring you, while trying to prove it wrong at the. same time, and say, "There's no reason I. would wait, you know.".