My body betrayed me — Wembanyama discusses why he went to learn Kung Fu, and his career-threatening injury

San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama, 21, spent part of his summer in China at a Shaolin Temple, where he became a warrior monk. The 7'3" centre spoke about his experience in Asia after returning to the United States.

Originally from Le Chesnay, France, Wembanyama is considered a generational talent. NBA experts predict he will dominate the league for years to come.

After a rookie season that earned him Rookie of the Year honors, Wembanyama's second season was cut short by a serious injury. Doctors discovered a blood clot in a vein in his right shoulder, forcing the 21-year-old to stop playing and focus on recovery.

Five months after his right shoulder thrombosis diagnosis, Wembanyama has been cleared to return to the court, he revealed in an interview with L'Equipe, per ESPN.

"Whew, I can finally play some basketball again. My injury was an adventure, obviously, but the worst is over. Today I'm much better, physically and mentally."

"We can officially say the thrombosis is behind me. Normally, it won't happen again. Now I have to continue working specifically on my shoulder and, more than anything, get back to my basketball routine," the French national team star said.

Wembanyama also explained his initial thoughts upon learning about the thrombosis, demonstrating a maturity beyond his years:

"The first thing that comes to mind is, 'My body betrayed me. It let me down.' But that's not the right perspective at all. It would mean forgetting everything my body has done for me in the past."

"It's better to redirect the question by asking myself if I pushed myself too hard or if I took enough care of myself. Did I eat enough? Did I sleep well enough? I probably could have done all of those things better to avoid putting my body through this."

Facing the fear that he might never play basketball again, the Spurs' giant decided to spend part of his summer at a Shaolin Temple in China, learning kung fu and experiencing sport in a different culture.

"Regarding my decision to discover kung fu in China, I did it because I was convinced there would be physical benefits in doing a sporting activity as far removed as possible from my usual routine. It was an opportunity to improve my body's capabilities, the range of motion I was capable of," Wembanyama told L'Equipe.

In China, accompanied by fellow Frenchman Guillaume Alquier, the San Antonio Spurs' strength and conditioning coach, Wembanyama experienced the life of a warrior monk, combining Buddhism with intensive kung fu training.

"It was very difficult. I discovered movements I had never done in my life. I did more than 1,000 strikes a day, jumps, balance exercises, stretching. We used muscles we rarely use, and they quickly became overworked."

"I experienced some of the worst pain of my life. It was even too much at one point. I had to ease off. Fortunately, my shifu (master, teacher) was understanding," admitted the basketball player who averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals, and 3.8 blocks in the 2024-2025 season.

The experience also involved a lot of meditation.

"A great deal. I did it every night, and the longest session lasted two hours. I didn't have a 'eureka' moment, but as I said before, it helped me understand even more that we don't have all the time in the world to do certain things."

"Without going into too much detail, it's a bit of the idea that we have to free ourselves from the chains we attach to ourselves," Wembanyama explained.

How did the adventure end? "We managed to complete the experience and ultimately became monks. We are officially part of the 34th generation of warrior monks from that temple," the 21-year-old said.

In Las Vegas with his Spurs team for the NBA Summer League, Wembanyama reflected on his experience and responded clearly when asked if he had embraced Buddhism:

"No. Even though it enriched me greatly, I can't say I became a Buddhist. I learned a lot about the subject during my trip to China, in general. As Westerners, we don't have much information about their way of life and their beliefs."

"By asking many people about their religion, I realized the answer wasn't necessarily clear-cut. Unlike us, they don't rely on a religious book with good or bad rules to follow. For the Chinese, religion is more of a philosophy of life than something very defined."