'Life Isn't Forever': How Injury Helped Victor Wembanyama Shape Perspective

SAN ANTONIO — In the heat of an offseason spent away from basketball, Victor Wembanyama embraced a slew of first experiences.

Among them was a crash course in kung fu.

"Very much out of my comfort zone," the San Antonio Spurs star said of his offseason stay with Shaolin monks in China — a trip that also included veganism and more physical activity than he'd ever been accustomed to.

Wembanyama noted that he was, of course, a professional basketball player; physical activity is often demanded and often met. But throwing kicks and punches fell in the "first" category.

"We used muscles that we rarely use," Wembanyama said, "which were quickly overloaded. I had some of the biggest aches and pains of my life.”

Upon his return, Wembanyama spent time watching the newest Spurs in Las Vegas during NBA 2K26 Summer League. The 7-foot-4 big man trained with former stewards of basketball. Notably, Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett joined the ranks of Wembanyama's developmental assets.

The Frenchman also spearheaded a chess tournament in his hometown. The first annual "Hoop Gambit" saw a turnout rivaling a Spurs home game. It was a fusion of two passions for Wembanyama.

"He was everywhere," Harrison Barnes said.

A third, unrelated passion involved a trip to NASA's Johnson Space Center. According to Wembanyama, that one was his favorite.

"That was incredible," Wembanyama said. "I did a lot of interesting things (this summer). And you didn’t see all of them, but you saw more than I’d like.”

Sep 29, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama (1) poses for photos during Media Day at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Perhaps Wembanyama would have preferred to lead a Tim Duncan-esque offseason; the type that prioritizes privacy to publicity. But he would be remiss not to acknowledge that his path diverges from Duncan’s.

For one, Duncan never battled deep vein thrombosis.

When Wembanyama first heard his diagnosis, it shattered his world.

The center, for the better part of two seasons, had been working toward a common goal of bringing a sixth championship to the Spurs. He "knew" it was going to happen, but the 45 total wins between his NBA debut and last season's All-Star Break weren’t enough to get there.

Upon a fully healthy return — the Spurs made clear that was always the expectation — Wembanyama understood the need for both him and his team to be better. He also saw his humanity.

"It’s life-changing," Wembanyama said. "Spending so much time in hospitals, around doctors, hearing more bad news than I wish I heard, it’s traumatic."

In Wembanyama's mind, trauma shapes perspective.

“Life isn’t forever," he said. "There are some experiences you’re going to miss on. It’s inevitable. But I’m going to miss out on the least that I can. I’m still going to do the things I want to do as a human.”

So, like he did for De'Aaron Fox's first game back in Sacramento, Wembanyama began flying. The center went to Tokyo, China, France, Las Vegas and everywhere in between. He wasn't keen on letting his global superstar status hold him back.

“I’m just really in awe sometimes," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said. "The things he thinks about that may be small nuances, but he feels like: ‘If I can add this to my world … it can help me.’

"That’s something that’s not very common in someone his age.”

Wembanyama and "common" are seldom synonymous.

"We know the type of talent that he is," De'Aaron Fox said, "and people are learning the type of person that he is, as well. For him, (deep vein thrombosis) something that could … kill you. Him just looking at life differently, that’s a testament to the person that Victor is."

Sep 29, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward-center Victor Wembanyama (1) answers questions from the media during Media Day at Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Wembanyama often texted with his teammates when he wasn't on the floor. After San Antonio's victory over the Phoenix Suns in Austin — their first without him — "great win" graced the team's group chat. Less endearing were his offseason social media exchanges with Jeremy Sochan.

"That’s a relationship we’ve been building since the day he got here," Sochan laughed, remembering taunting Wembanyama during EuroBasket 2025, "(but) his rehab's been going great. The way he looks is amazing."

For months, the Spurs waded through life without Wembanyama on the floor. While that time off served as an awakening, of sorts, for the center, it was a stark reminder of his impact on the game.

Adding him back tops San Antonio's excitement list.

“It’ll help our defense tremendously," Barnes said. "For him, personally, it was tough not being out there ... because (there's) always the ‘what if?' How would the season have ended if he continued on the trajectory he was on?"

Enter Victor Wembanyama. First on the agenda was making fun of Harrison Ingram. #PorVida pic.twitter.com/ZIBxOnw202
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) September 29, 2025

San Antonio won't know how its season was supposed to go, and Wembanyama is acutely aware of his inability to turn back time. His mind now rests in the present; it's telling him one thing.

“I feel like I need to play basketball," Wembanyama said. "There’s only so many steps I was going to pass this summer. I’ve already maxed out what I could do. Now, I need to play basketball."

"I want to play," he added. "I need to. I miss it.”

The Spurs already have their game plan set. Wembanyama can only use his newly acquired kung fu training in-game "one time," so Johnson, taking the reins from Gregg Popovich, is leaning into the more obvious answer.

“We want this team to be in the reflection of Victor," the coach said. "He’s our best player. He’s our guy. We’re going to continue to build with him, around him and hopefully push him to continue to be better like he wants to be.”

Wembanyama received the green light from the Spurs to get back on the court just before his visit to Las Vegas in July. After five months without basketball, he's since returned to his main passion. Yet stepping on the court felt different. Because he is different.

If the Spurs are to reflect Wembanyama, they'll be, too.

"I learned many lessons," Wembanyama said of his season-ending injury, "Things that I’m never going to forget because they’re marked in my body. At the end of the day, I’m grateful for what I learned. I’m grateful that I’m passing the steps in my life, my career and as a person.”