Victor Wembanyama Sees Room to Grow On and Off the Court

At 22, Victor Wembanyama is entering his fourth NBA season as one of the league’s most distinctive players. The 7-foot-4 San Antonio Spurs center was named Defensive Player of the Year last season and helped the team reach the Western Conference finals before it lost to the New York Knicks in five games in the NBA Finals.

Wembanyama said the Finals brought attention to a more aggressive side of his play, but he was not concerned about being cast as a villain during the series. Looking back, he described the physical confrontations as a sign of his limits, saying players need to focus on basketball to win.

He said that finding his own approach has been challenging because of his unusual mix of size and skills, as well as the shift from growing up in France to playing in the United States. He is comfortable working through uncertainty, he said. His training has also become more focused on his feet, which he sees as important to mobility and a long career. A blood clot in his shoulder ended his second season and prompted him to put greater emphasis on conditioning.

Wembanyama praised the Spurs’ history and former coach Gregg Popovich, who retired from coaching in 2025 after a stroke. He recalled Popovich’s advice to stay humble after both wins and losses.

Away from basketball, Wembanyama described interests including chess, meditation and travel. He said the United States is an excellent place to be a professional athlete and that people there are less likely to judge ambition, while finding social interactions shallower than elsewhere. He also said he hopes to use his profile to encourage habits that improve people’s lives. His own ambitions, he added, are still taking shape.