Victor Wembanyama trained until he collapsed from exhaustion – more about Spurs phenom’s ‘violent’ workouts originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
At just 22 years old, Victor Wembanyama reaching this level of dominance is truly unbelievable. What we are witnessing now goes beyond an elite young basketball star, as it feels like the rise of the most phenomenal young professional athlete since LeBron James.
Advertisement
But none of this happened by accident, as Wembanyama pushed his body and mind to extreme limits to prepare for this moment. According to The Athletic’s Jared Weiss, the Spurs star went through such an intense offseason regimen that he often trained until he “collapsed from exhaustion.”
During the offseason, Wembanyama traveled through China and Japan in search of spiritual growth before beginning a demanding physical transformation. He spent time at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China, where he practiced Chan meditation and Shaolin Kung Fu. He also trained alongside Harrison Barnes in Los Angeles for two weeks under skills trainer Noah Laroche.
“My training this summer, it was brutal,” Wembanyama said in October. “This summer, I chose to do something much more violent. Maybe that takes away from some time I can spend on shooting the basketball, but it doesn’t matter. I wanted to get my body back.”
That demanding offseason work is already paying off, as Wembanyama led the San Antonio Spurs to a 103-82 Game 4 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday night, helping even the Western Conference Finals at 2-2. He dominated with 33 points and eight rebounds while also drilling a stunning 40-foot buzzer-beater to close the first half.
Advertisement
More NBA news: