As the summer vacations come to an end and NBA players have all returned to their respective teams, all eyes are on No.1 Draft pick Victor Wembanyama in the Spurs’ training camp. In his first Media Day, the French sensation appeared with a natural hair style (unlike his bleached blonde look) and came ready to hit the gym for another session.
The rookie said he feels he’s in the best shape of his life, as he’s been gaining weight to build muscle before the start of the 2023/24 campaign later this month.
“Ever since I’ve been in San Antonio, I’ve gained 10-15 pounds,” he revealed. “I’m trying to stop there, trying to not add too much too quick. We’re on a good path.”
After being selected by the Spurs in the last draft, he felt drained after the Summer League in Las Vegas and took some time off in Texas before returning to train “harder, but also smarter” than “any other moment in my life,” he shared.
The players explained that this training routine should impact his performances on the NBA courts for the next three years, as he expects this to be the foundation on which he’ll keep working on.
“My conditioning and physical condition are way, way better than any time before in my life,” Wembanyama said. “Everything here is done with a purpose. I learned as much about my body in these past three months than I had learned [over] the past five years.”
The San Antonio big man believes he’s accomplished this in many ways. “The Spurs know a lot more than any of my teams before because they could run some tests more thoroughly. All of this is really technical. The biggest difference here is back in Europe I don’t think the whole organizations, front office, coaches, staff, they aren’t as dedicated to have great ambitions long term. Here everyone works in harmony. I know it’s not the same with every franchise,” he said.
Then, he pointed at the Spurs’ banners where proof of their five championships lie and said that this team has all it takes to fight for another title. “But here, they know how to win these,” Wembanyama expressed. “They’ve done it before, and they want to do it again. It’s just a beautiful harmony.”
His San Antonio teammates also share great expectations over Wembanyama’s rookie season with the Spurs
The entire Spurs squad have been in awe of Victor’s talent, as well as his freakish height and unusual agility. In the team’s Media Day, they all addressed their new rookie player and what they expect from him this 2023/24 campaign.
“Let’s just put it this way: I think in every game he’s going to do something where you turn around and say, ‘Huh? It just doesn’t make sense.’ Sometimes, he just makes the hoop look so little. He’ll hit a step-back and you’ll say, ‘Did he really just shoot that?’ And then he makes it.
“Y’all are going to have a great time watching him play this year,” said teammate Devin Vassell.
Victor Wembanyama has entered the building 📍@spurs x #NBAMediaDay pic.twitter.com/HSV3cdOCq8
— NBA (@NBA) October 2, 2023
As for Jeremy Sochan, he simply cannot believe how Wembanyama can do it all, considering his height and young age.
“I think he is just a freak of nature. It is not normal to see someone that tall moving like that, be agile, and be able to come out and block a shot or dunk it from some weird place,” he expressed. “He has done a bunch of stuff (during summer workouts) that is like, ‘Oh, snap. That’s crazy.’ And then it is going to carry on this season, next season, for as long as he plays.”
