Victor Wembanyama Opened Up On Training With Gregg Popovich: “I Thought I Would’ve Experienced The Yelling Earlier”

Victor Wembanyama spoke about his first few training sessions with Gregg Popovich, giving fans a bit of a peek behind the curtain.

4 Min Read

Credit: Troy Taormina/USA Today Sports

All eyes across the NBA are on Victor Wembanyama going into next season. There are many other storylines in the league, but fans are excited to see if the French phenom lives up to the hype surrounding him. 

He has already begun working with the San Antonio Spurs after they drafted him No. 1 overall. Gregg Popovich has coached some of the greatest players ever, and from the sounds of it, Wembanyama is enjoying his initial training sessions with the legend.

“He works out more than I thought. Every morning he’s there, running on the treadmill, lifting weights,” Wembanyama said. “Other than that, he communicates a lot with me and doesn’t want me to make… 

“He wants to take care of me and wants to avoid me making some mistakes. He’s really present and it’s really comfortable. I thought I would experience the yelling a bit earlier. I haven’t yet, but I’m ready.”

(Starts at 2:38 minutes)

Victor Wembanyama has the chance to become something the NBA has never seen before and it seems Gregg Popovich is committed to making sure he lives up to that potential. The fact that he is already working out with the legendary coach so soon after the NBA Draft shows how seriously Wembanyama is taking the whole process. It seems like this will be a fascinating time for fans of the San Antonio Spurs. 


Gregg Popovich Wants Victor Wembanyama To Become The Best Version of Himself

With the amount of hype surrounding Wembanyama, comparisons were bound to occur. People have already compared him to Wilt Chamberlain, compared his potential to that of a young LeBron James, and the comparisons to Tim Duncan are inevitable now that he is on the Spurs. But Gregg Popovich wants to ensure that Wemby remains who he is

“It is about expectations. It’s about not skipping steps, which I say often. It’s A to B to C to D in a variety of levels,” said Coach Pop. “Because of all the hype, he’ll have a target on his back… 

“So more than Os and Xs to begin with, we’ll be mostly interested in setting a framework and an environment where he’s comfortable, where he can be Victor. He’s not LeBron or Tim or Kobe or anybody else, he’s Victor and that’s who we want him to be.”

It seems that the basics of the NBA game are already being practiced in San Antonio. Wembanyama has bought in fully, choosing to forgo an appearance in the 2023 FIBA World Cup to focus on his rookie season. His debut in a Spurs jersey might end up being one of the most-watched games of next season. 

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Divij Kulkarni is an NBA columnist for Fadeaway World. He has covered the NBA and the English Premier League, with 4 years of experience in creating sports content. Finding exciting and intriguing content about all things NBA is both his job and his passion. Divij loves the Dallas Mavericks and can be regularly observed getting emotional during games. Outside of basketball, he enjoys reading fantasy and sci-fi novels, consuming copious amounts of movies and TV, and spending time with his dog, Olivia. Expertise: NBA, Historical Sports ResearchFavorite Team: Dallas MavericksFeatured On HoopsHype, Sports Illustrated, Secret Base, MSNPrevious Work: Tribuna
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