Inside Victor Wembanyama’s summer of transformation

Editor's note: This story was originally published Oct. 8.

IN QUIET gym located on a sprawling 400-acre ranch in Katy, Texas, about 30 miles west of Houston, Victor Vembanyama retreated from the new San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Rashard Lewis near the basket.

The 21-year-old student was there to attend one of the most secret and legendary camps for big men in basketball, whose teacher quietly mentored Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron JamesDwight Howard and many others. Even Kobe Bryant spent time at this sacred site.

Other Spurs assistants Matt Nielsen and Sean Sweeney looked on the court as future NBA big men learned from one of the icons of their past.

Court drawn in Houston Rockets red, was decorated with the number 34 in the center. His famous nickname was written above him.

Dream.

Wembanyama met 62-year-old Hakeem Olajuwon in April at the NCAA men's college national championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio. They were sitting courtside.

“He said he wanted to work out with me,” Olajuwon, whose NBA Hall of Fame career included two championships, 12 All-Star appearances and an MVP award, told ESPN. “I said, 'You already have everything.' He said, “No, no, no. I watched your game and now I would like to know the secrets of all the moves. I would love it.”

Thus began a relationship that would cap Wembanyama's summer of transformation.

Six months earlier he had been diagnosed with: deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, a condition that is both career- and life-threatening.

The ordeal, says one source close to him, deeply affected the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year, so much so that it inspired him on a “journey to push himself to be great physically and mentally by doing things that were out of the box.”

He played soccer in Costa Rica and Tokyo. He famously spent 10 days on a spiritual retreat at the Shaolin Temple in Zhenzhou, China, where he studied and trained with the monks.

He held a chess and basketball tournament in his backyard in Le Chesne, France. He visited NASA's Johnson Space Center, where he learned about astronaut Peggy Whitson, who holds the American record for spending 675 days in space.

He spent time with another iconic big man, Kevin Garnett, in an effort to gain more control over the mental side of the game.

“This traumatic experience… has a lot to do with everything I did over the summer,” Vembanyama said. “Spending so much time in hospitals, around doctors and hearing more bad news that I wish I didn’t have to hear, of course it’s traumatic. But in the long run I think it will be very useful because although I don't want it [anybody]it makes you understand lessons that nothing else could help you understand.”

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson says he's never seen such perspective or curiosity from such a young player.

“He's so driven in so many ways that he's trying to improve as a player and as a person,” Johnson said. “He is constantly trying to get out of his comfort zone and learn something new. [to] and what he thinks about may be a small nuance, but he feels that if I can add this to my worldview, thinking, [or] whatever it is, it might help.”

BEFORE JOINING SOCIAL Media in July with a bad bicycle kick in Costa Rica, in addition to taking a free kick on the field in Tokyo, Vembanyama went to the historical Shaolin Temple, founded in the 5th century.

When Wembanyama told Spurs management of his intentions, everyone was on board, one team source told ESPN, remaining true to the club's commitment to encouraging the growth of its franchise player.

“The creativity is there from day one,” Johnson said. “We want this team to be a reflection of Victor. He's our best player. He's our guy.”

For 10 days, Vembanyama woke up at 4:30 a.m., ate a vegetarian breakfast 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 said he wanted to subject his mind and body to unusual stress, increase his range of motion, and add strength, flexibility and balance through various exercises.

“It was an incredible experience,” he said. “Probably for now [off] physical activity as I am used to doing. It really paid off in terms of learning and life experience for a curious person.”

People who have seen Wembanyama on the floor this summer say he is stronger, has better control of the game using his physicality and is increasingly comfortable with his unparalleled skill set.

“We know what a talent he is,” teammate De'Aaron Fox said. “I think people will also find out what kind of person he is. … He just looks at life differently, being able to travel and kind of express a different perspective not only on sports but on life, it's just a testament to who Victor is. I don’t think that surprises anyone in this building.”

IT WAS EARLY It's September and the 100-degree temperatures in Texas have finally subsided. The start of training camp was approaching, heightening the excitement among San Antonio fans who hadn't seen their team reach the postseason in six seasons.

Vembanyama and his teammates attended the Paris Saint-Germain game in January when Spurs played Indiana Pacers in France. There, Johnson first saw the PSG ultras, a rowdy group of passionate fans who create a menacing atmosphere at the 47,929-capacity Parc des Princes stadium with monstrous banners, loud chants and even the use of flares and pyrotechnics.

Vembanyama then told Johnson that he wanted to create a similar environment at the Frost Bank Centre.

So on the cool morning of September 14th, fans trudged into the Freeman Expo Hall adjacent to Frost Bank loud and proud shouting, “Go Spurs, Go!” Most of the players wore Spurs gear, wigs, fiesta-style clothing and face paint. Some even dressed up as pirates to register for the first fan tryouts, where Vembanyama acted as the sole judge.

Wembanyama leaned forward in a Spurs-themed chair reminiscent of the ice-block throne that George “The Iceman” Gerwin made famous in his iconic Nike poster back in 1978. Behind a curtain separated just a few feet from Vembanyama, nervous fans, many meeting for the first time, rehearsed the impromptu chants they would shout together minutes later.

“Vem-VP!” was the prevailing chant, bringing smiles to Vembanyama, who promised to cover the cost of tickets for the entire season for the five most memorable fans. He carefully wrote down information about each listener in a black Spurs notebook and listened to their stories. He asked their names, level of dedication and even a few personal questions before posing for photos as each of them walked out. Some fans beat the Spurs drum set up in the back of the room when it was their turn to audition.

Vembanyama also beat the drum and sang.

San Antonio general manager Brian Wright stood in the background near the curtain next to the exit next to general manager R.C. Buford, who was watching what was happening. Arms crossed, they watched intently, almost in awe, as Wembanyama spent the morning appreciatively taking in every second of dozens of interactions with fans who treated those brief introductions as moments forever etched in their hearts.

Just four days earlier, Wembanyama had led the Spurs to the field at Tom Moore High School in Ingram, Texas, where severe flooding in July killed at least 136 people in a region that included the communities of Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point, Mason and Hunt.

Wembanyama emerged from the back of the gym, throwing black Spurs jerseys into the crowd and cheering as the screams of students pierced the sweltering afternoon air. Vembanyama slapped the hands of one boy in the front row. The rest of the team took center court behind the Frenchman for a light practice consisting of layups, three-player weaving drills, half-court dunking contests and dozens of thunderous dunks, some of which were ridiculous shots thrown off the wall behind the baskets.

Vembanyama threw the ball into the lane and caught the ball in the air, passing it through his legs, drawing enthusiastic applause.

Now all Vembanyama has left is to get back on the court.

INSIDE OLAJUWON AGAIN In the gym, the Rockets icon asked Wembanyama what he wanted to achieve, a question more existential than cliché after this summer of international experience.

“Basically, he wanted to know how to use his capabilities. Let’s take advantage of every opportunity you have, internally and externally, taking advantage of opportunities in different situations without wasting energy,” Olajuwon told ESPN. “I know how experienced he is. Therefore, our concept was not for “big people”. Our concept was “big guard”. You don't want to dribble like a big man. We're big backs where you can play 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 with the freedom to play outside, inside, crossovers and pull-ups without wasting energy on any one player because you have an advantage over everyone every night.”

Through four 2.5-hour practices in early September, Wembanyama developed his own variation of the Hall of Fame “Dream Shake” in addition to other cool spins that could make opponents giddy in the coming season.

There's also a jumping hook that Wemby keeps secret.

“Yeah, that’s part of his technique,” ​​Olajuwon said. “You know how good he can shoot, right? Can you imagine how he executes his shots? If someone like him can jump off a hook, you are at his mercy.

Teammate Jeremy Sochan says he has already witnessed evolution.

“You can see how hard he works and how motivated he is,” Sochan said. “He’s very exciting to watch and he’s ready. I think you guys are going to see a lot that will shock you.”

Vembanyama, for his part, considers his off-season to be the most unusual.

“I can assure you that no one has trained like I have this summer,” he said. “I think I’ve exhausted everything I could do in one summer. Now I need to play basketball.”