Victor Wembanyama announced his return to the basketball court after the serious injury (deep vein thrombosis in a shoulder) he suffered five months ago in an interview with ‘L’Equipe’, in which he admitted that he feared he would not be able to play again.
“If I had to play a match tomorrow, it would be risky. I have to recover a lot of reflexes, both mentally and muscle memory.”
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“Today I can say that I have officially left the thrombosis behind” in one leg, says the San Antonio Spurs’ star French center, who is participating in some team-building sessions with his team while the younger players compete in the summer league in search of an opportunity.
I was afraid that I would not be able to play basketball again, I think it is something that happens to all of us
Wemby, 21, was selected first overall in the 2023 draft and after his first season he won the Rookie of the Year award, thanks to his 2.24m height and the enormous wingspan of his arms, but also to the intelligence of his game despite his youth.
However, the progression of his second season was cut short by the problem in his leg, discovered on February 20, which forced him to take an indefinite leave of absence and caused him to fear that he would have to give up basketball, as has happened to other players for the same reason.
“I was afraid that I would not be able to play basketball again, I think it is something that happens to all of us,” he explains.
Wembanyama will not play Eurobasket with France: “No risks can be taken”
The interview, conducted last Friday, took place just afterWembanyama was given the medical all-clear to return to training, although he is aware that he will have to return very gradually.
“If I had to play a game tomorrow, it would be risky. I have to recover a lot of reflexes, both mentally and muscle memory,” he explains. Still, he says he will come back stronger than ever.
This gradual return has caused hiswithdrawal from the Eurobasket, which begins on August 27, a decision he made together with the coaching staff of the French national team.
“When you have such a serious health problem in life in general (…) You can’t take risks,” he explains.
Wembanyama learned kung fu at a Shaolin monastery during injury: “You had to do 1,000 kicks”
Wembanyama details in the interview that he has taken advantage of this forced break to travel the world, with stays in Costa Rica, Japan and China. In the latter country, he was learning meditation and kung fu at the Shaolin monastery, the place where this martial art was invented.
It was very hard. I discovered movements that we never do in our lives. We used muscles that we hardly use and they were overloaded very quickly
“It was very hard. I discovered movements that we never do in our lives. We had to do more than a thousand kicks every day, jumps, balance exercises, stretching. We used muscles that we hardly use and that were overloaded very quickly,” he recalls.
This is how Wembanyama sees the future of the Spurs: “They are masters in the art of building teams”
The key player for the Spurs to try to revive the laurels they achieved in past decades with big men such as ‘The Admiral’ David Robinson or Tim Duncan believes that the Texas franchise does not need to look for big stars in the market.
“The Spurs are masters in the art of building teams without going out to look for great players or sacrificing the balance of the group,” he recalls.
Finally, he insists on his “dream” of making his entire NBA career “in one franchise,” although he says he has not yet thought about the contract extension to which he will be entitled in a year’s time, worth about $300 million over five years.
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