Chess, monks & Nasa – Wembanyama’s unusual pre-season

Victor Wembanyama’s last appearance on an NBA court was the 2025 NBA All-Star Game in February.

The French forward, age 21, had deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder for the rest of the season and was declared out for the season three days later.

It can threaten both an athlete’s life and their career.

The San Antonio Spurs take on the Dallas Mavericks in their third game, which will be played on October 2024.

Wembanyama has been predicted to pick up from where he left off in February and is returning to the league as a transformed man.

Physically, he has experienced a growth spurt, reaching a height of 7 feet 4 inches (2.24 meters), which is one inch taller than the previous season. He’s believed to be closer to 7’5″ in some circles.

Wembanyama also has a listed weight of 16 t 11 lb (106. 6 kg), which has dropped two pounds since 2023, but he claimed to have gained “probably 30 pounds” while playing in the NBA.

Wembanyama himself and Spurs officials have downplayed the growth in size and power, but it has only increased the excitement surrounding the French star’s return.

Wembanyama’s popularity has remained high throughout an off-season that started two months earlier than expected due to injury.

Wembanyama made the most of his time off the court to become the NBA’s fastest player ever to amass a total of one billion social media likes and likes on posts across platforms.

Wembanyama went one step further by training with monks at a Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou, China, for 10 days while athletes typically take vacations during their downtime.

His travels continued there. In Costa Rica and Tokyo, he was captured on video playing football with locals.

Wembanyama, who is also known as “the Alien,” also made a trip to Nasa’s Johnson Space Center, hosted a chess and basketball game on his own court in Le Chesnay, France, and met Harry Potter’s Daniel Radcliffe.

Wembanyama is also a keen reader, frequently found absorbed in a book in the days leading up to a game.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson praised him for his “very intentional” efforts to improve both as a player and person.

It is constantly attempting to push himself to the limits of his comfort and discover new things.

Wembanyama was invited to a private training session with him in one of the sport’s most exclusive camps by the 1994 NBA MVP and 12-time NBA all-star Hakeem Olajuwon. LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Kobe Bryant’s passing were previous guests.

On the way to Wednesday’s eagerly awaited return, he also trained with Kevin Garnett, a legend of the sport.

Wembanyama put his return to full basketball fitness above all else, thanks in part to Olajuwon and Garnett’s time, despite the fact that he claimed all of his extracurricular summer activities “deserved respect.”

No one has trained as much as I did this summer, the French singer said.

Wembanyama’s absence caused him to miss the final 30 games of the Spurs’ season. Only 11 victories were won at that time.

He made more blocks than any other player for the second straight season despite missing 36 games overall last year.

The Spurs had a record of 23 wins and 29 losses prior to his season-ending injury, which gave them the least chance of reaching the post-season since 2021-22.

However, there are some promising young stars for the Spurs. Their roster combines Harrison Barnes, De’Aaron Fox, Kelly Olynyk, and Stephon Castle, who was the 2024-2019 NBA Rookie of the Year, with their youth. Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant, and Jeremy Sochan, the 2025 first-round draft pick, are just a few examples of the talent that has emerged.

Wembanyama’s in-game statistics, which included back-to-back victories over Indiana Pacers and Eastern Conference champions, remain at a level that shows promise for the new campaign.

He is one of the early contenders to win the league this year’s MVP. Although he may not be quite of his own time, he has unquestioned his talent.