Victor Wembanyama was the most hyped prospect to enter the NBA in years in 2023, and he has certainly lived up to all the hype. The one big concern regarding Wembanyama at the time was his slender frame, and he revealed during an appearance on Cold as Balls that he has gained 30 lbs since entering the NBA.
“I gained probably like 30 lbs,” Wembanyama said.
Wembanayama stated he came in at around 215 to 220 lbs and is at 245 now. Host Kevin Hart wondered how the 21-year-old had managed to do that.
“Strength training, of course, but the main thing for me is I could, in theory, put on a lot of weight, but I would lose some of my mobility,” Wembanyama stated. “Some of my athleticism. So, it’s something that needs to be done really carefully, and I have a lot of eyes and a lot of minds thinking about me in this instance.”
There were many calling for Wembanyama to bulk up as they feared his slender frame wouldn’t be able to handle the rigors of the NBA. He and his team didn’t pay any attention to the outside noise, though, and were focused on strength training.
Wembanyama played 71 games in his rookie season after the San Antonio Spurs drafted him with the first pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and ended it with averages of 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.2 steals, and 3.6 blocks per game. He won Rookie of the Year and finished second in voting for DPOY.
Wembanyama looked set to win the award and play over 70 games this season, but it wasn’t to be. He was ruled out for the season at the All-Star break due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
That had nothing to do with Wembanyama’s frame, of course. It was just an unfortunate health problem, but it isn’t expected to be a problem moving forward.
We should be able to see Wembanyama at his best in the 2025-26 season. He averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.8 blocks per game before going down this past season, and it will be interesting to see if he takes a leap.
Victor Wembanyama’s Agent’s Strong Message To Those Who Wanted His Client To Bulk Up
Wembanyama’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye, had addressed all the talk about his client needing to bulk up. Ndiaye made it clear that they will fight to not put weight on his body.
“Did you see an issue here in Vegas? No. People are wrong,” Ndiaye said. “We’re not focused at all on weights. I don’t want to put weight on his body. We’re going to fight to not put weight on his body. Weight on his body [is] a big mistake. We focus on strength, core. We were very pleased that he linked up [with] Jabbar who played until [41] years old. That’s the path that we want to take …”
“I’m very glad they, they connected because uh, have a similar body type,” Ndiaye continued. “Kareem was not heavy. Victor is more mobile, gaudier and taller than Kareem. So, that difference in height is a challenge and is something that we are working on every day. Making him heavy? We don’t want to do that.”
Wembanyama’s frame is somewhat similar to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s. Abdul-Jabbar never had to bulk up a lot to go down as one of the greatest players in NBA history, and the Spurs star’s camp believes he won’t have to either.
