Kung Fu, meditation and a 'Dream Shake': Inside Victor Wembanyama's return
INSIDE A QUIET gym located on a sprawling 400-acre ranch in Katy, Texas, some 30 miles due west of Houston, Victor Wembanyama backed down new San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Rashard Lewis near the basket.
The 21-year-old pupil was there to attend one of the most secretive, legendary big man camps in basketball -- one whose teacher has quietly mentored Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Dwight Howard and many others. Even Kobe Bryant spent time on this most hallowed of grounds.
Other Spurs assistants, Matt Nielsen and Sean Sweeney, looked toward the court, where the future of NBA big men was learning from one of the icons of its past.
The court, painted in Houston Rockets red, was emblazoned with a No. 34 at the center of it. Above it was his famed nickname in cursive.
Dream.
Wembanyama met the 62-year-old Hakeem Olajuwon in April at the NCAA men's college national championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio. They sat courtside.
"He said he would love to work out with me," Olajuwon, whose Hall of Fame NBA career included two championships, 12 All-Star appearances and an MVP award, told ESPN. "I said, 'You've got everything already.' He said, 'No, no, no. I've watched you play, and I'd like to know now just the secrets behind all the moves. I would love that.'"
And so began a relationship that would cap a summer of transformation for Wembanyama.
Six months earlier, he had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, a condition both career- and life-threatening.
The ordeal, one source close to him says, deeply affected the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year, so much so that it inspired "a journey to push himself to be great physically and mentally with things that were outside the box."
He played soccer in Costa Rica and Tokyo. He famously spent 10 days at a spiritual retreat at a Shaolin temple in Zhenzhou, China, where he studied and trained with monks.
He hosted a chess and basketball tournament at his court in Le Chesnay, France. He visited NASA's Johnson Space Center, where he learned about astronaut Peggy Whitson, who owns the American record for spending 675 days in space.
He spent time with another iconic big man, Kevin Garnett, seeking to tighten his grip on the mental side of the game.
"The traumatic experience ... is very much linked to all the stuff I've done in the summer," Wembanyama said. "Spending so much time in hospitals, around doctors and hearing more bad news that I wish I hadn't heard, of course, it is traumatic. But in the long run I think it's going to be very beneficial because even though I don't wish it on [anybody], it makes you understand lessons that nothing else could have made you understand."
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson says he's never witnessed such perspective, or curiosity, from such a young player.
"He is so intentional in the variety of ways that he tries to improve as a player and person," Johnson said. "It's constantly trying to push himself out of his comfort zone and learn new things. Sometimes, the levels he goes [to] and the things he thinks about that may be a small nuance, but he feels like if I can add this to my world being, mindset, [or] whatever it may be, it can help."
BEFORE CAPTIVATING SOCIAL media in July with a failed bicycle kick in Costa Rica, in addition to smashing a looping free kick on the pitch in Tokyo, Wembanyama traveled to a historic Shaolin temple, one that was founded in the 5th century.
When Wembanyama informed Spurs brass of his intentions, everyone was on board, one team source told ESPN, remaining true to the club's commitment to encourage the growth of its franchise player.
"The creativity is something that's been there from Day 1," Johnson said. "We want this team to be in the reflection of Victor. He's our best player. He's our guy."
For 10 days, Wembanyama woke up at 4:30 a.m., ate vegetarian breakfast bowls of zucchini and rice noodles and immersed himself in Chan meditation, a school of thought that emphasizes direct experience over intellectual learning. He studied Shaolin Kung Fu. He shaved his head.
He wanted to go, he said, to put his mind and body under unusual stress, to increase his range of motion, to add strength, flexibility and balance through different exercises.
"It was an incredible experience," he said. "Probably as far [off] a physical activity as I'm used to doing. It really paid off in terms of training and as a life experience as a curious person."
People who have seen Wembanyama on the floor this summer say he's stronger, more under control playing through physicality and increasingly comfortable with his unprecedented skill set.
"We know the type of talent he is," teammate De'Aaron Fox said. "I think people are learning the type of person that he is, as well. ... Him just looking at life differently, being able to travel and kind of come out with a different view on not only the sport, but on life, that's just a testament to the person that Victor is. I don't think it surprises anybody in this building."
IT WAS EARLY September, and the 100-degree temperatures were finally subsiding in Texas. The start of training camp approached, heightening the excitement among a San Antonio fan base that hasn't seen its team reach the postseason in six seasons.
Wembanyama and his teammates attended a Paris Saint-Germain game in January when the Spurs played the Indiana Pacers in France. While there, Johnson caught his first glimpse of the PSG ultras, a rowdy group of passionate fans that create a formidable atmosphere in the 47,929-capacity Parc de Princes stadium through monstrous banners, booming chants and even the use of flares and pyrotechnics.
Wembanyama revealed to Johnson then that he wanted to create a similar setting at Frost Bank Center.
So, on a cool Sept. 14 morning, fans traipsed into the Freeman Expo Hall adjacent to Frost Bank, loud and proud, screaming "Go Spurs Go!" Most sported Spurs gear, wigs, fiesta-themed clothing and face paint. Some even dressed as pirates to register for the first fan supporter tryouts with Wembanyama serving as the lone judge.
Wembanyama leaned forward on a Spurs-themed chair resembling a replica of the ice block throne that George "Iceman" Gervin made famous in his iconic Nike poster back in 1978. Behind a curtain sectioned off just feet away from Wembanyama, nervous fans -- many meeting for the first time -- rehearsed the impromptu chants they would scream together minutes later.
"Wem-V-P!" was the prevailing chant, drawing smiles from Wembanyama, who had pledged to cover the cost of tickets all season for the five most memorable fans. Intently, he scribbled notes in a black Spurs notepad on every auditioner and listened to their stories. He asked their names, level of dedication to the cause and even some personal questions before posing for pics as each exited. Some fans beat on a Spurs drum stationed in the back of the room once their turn to audition came.
Wembanyama hit the drum, too, and led a chant.
San Antonio general manager Brian Wright stood in the background near a curtain close to the exit next to CEO RC Buford taking in the scene. Arms folded, they watched carefully, almost in awe of how Wembanyama appreciatively embraced each second of dozens of interactions all morning with a fan base that treated those brief intros as moments forever seared into their hearts.
Just four days prior, Wembanyama had led the Spurs onto the court at Tom Moore High School in Ingram, Texas, where a massive flood in July had left at least 136 people dead in a region that included communities in Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point, Mason and Hunt.
Wembanyama emerged from the back of the gym, tossing black Spurs T-shirts into the crowd and clapping while the sounds of shrieking students pierced the stuffy afternoon air. Wembanyama slapped hands with one young boy in the front row. The rest of the team took center court behind the Frenchman for a light workout consisting of layups, three-man weave drills, a half-court shot competition and dozens of thunderous dunks, some coming on ridiculous lobs thrown off the wall behind the baskets.
Wembanyama tossed a self alley-oop and caught the ball midair, taking it through his legs for a jam drawing delighted cheers.
Now, all that's left for Wembanyama is to return to the court.
Victor Wembanyama hits the gym with NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon in the offseason.
BACK INSIDE OLAJUWON'S gym, the Rockets icon asked Wembanyama what he wanted to accomplish, a question more existential than cliché after this summer of international experience.
"He basically wanted to know how to leverage. Let's leverage any opportunities you have, inside, outside, with opportunities in different situations without wasting energy," Olajuwon told ESPN. "I know how skilled he is. So, our concept was not for 'big men.' Our concept was 'big guards.' You don't want to dribble like a big man. We are big guards where you can play 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 with the freedom to create outside, inside, crossover and pull up without wasting any energy with any player because you have the advantage every night on everybody."
Through four 2½-hour workouts in early September, Wembanyama developed his own variation of the Hall of Famer's "Dream Shake" in addition to other tightly-wound spin moves that might leave opponents dizzy this upcoming season.
Then, there's the jump hook Wemby is keeping under wraps.
"Yeah, that's part of his moves," Olajuwon said. "You know how well he can shoot, right? Can you imagine putting in the moves with him finishing his shots? If somebody like him can jump hook, you're at his mercy. You can't get to it. You can't get to his jump shot or jump hooks. "
Teammate Jeremy Sochan says he's already witnessed the evolution.
"You see how hard he works and how motivated he is," Sochan said. "He's super exciting to see and he's ready. I think you guys are going to see a lot that's going to shock you."
Wembanyama, for his part, credits his most unusual offseason.
"I can assure you nobody has trained like I did this summer," he said. "I think I've maxed out what I could do in one summer. Now, I need to play basketball."
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