As if he hasn't bewildered the league enough in his first two years, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama has given the NBA another reason to be afraid of him.
During the summer, he has grown one inch taller, with the Spurs listing him at 7'4" for the 2025-2026 NBA season, according to ESPN's Michael Wright.
But his added height is the least of everyone's problems. At the Spurs' media day, Wembanyama, 21, said he had the best summer of his young career yet.
His offseason preparation saw him not only gain height and weight, but also instilled a level of confidence we couldn't have expected following his recovery from his deep vein thrombosis.
Now cleared to play by San Antonio , he has sent a warning to his opponents.
"My training this summer was brutal... I can assure you that nobody has trained like I did this summer," he said . "This is my best summer so far. I can tell, the progress is just incredible."
After his rehabilitation, Wemby, who was listed at 7'3" and weighed 235 pounds last year, said he followed a strict workout regimen that focused on adding more pure muscle mass to his body.
Then, earlier in the summer, the social media world was abuzz after photos of him were spotted training with Houston Rockets all-time great center Hakeem Olajuwon and Hall of Fame power forward Kevin Garnett . He didn't talk about these during the presser, but if Wemby did train with them, we should expect a better inside game from him.
Not only that, Wembanyama went the distance – literally – going on a 10-day trip to a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China, where he shaved his head, trained with monks, learned Shaolin Kung Fu and Chan meditation.
Wembanyama believes that his physical and mental preparation during the offseason was one of a kind for any athlete.
"I'm so much more under control and my conditioning has gotten so much better, but that comes at a price," Wembanyama said. "What I've done this summer is world-class. Even in the field of professional sports, I don't think many people have trained the way we've trained this summer."
Wembanyama is coming off his first All-Star appearance. In the 2024-2025 season, he averaged 24.3 points, 11.3 rebounds and 3.8 blocks before his illness abruptly ended his season.
With his offseason training, Victor believes that, individually, he has no ceiling as he approaches his third NBA season.
"On my body, there's only so many steps that I'm going to pass this summer," he said. "I'm only going to get so much better."
However, he stressed that he also needs to learn how to play as part of the team, emphasizing a focus on tactics and defense.
"I think I've maxed out what I can do in one summer ," he said. " And now I need to play basketball and work on my skills as a team tactically. So, yeah, I want to play. And I miss it."
The Spurs are entering with a promising young talent, with a loaded backcourt of De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle , Devin Vassell and rookie Dylan Harper .
In the frontcourt, Kelly Olynyk and Luke Kornet are expected to lessen the burden on the Frenchman.
There hasn't been an offseason preparation like Wembanyama's, at least according to him.
But if he were to be believed, with a talented roster centered around him, he is more poised to lead the Spurs to a better finish and help them snap their six-year playoff drought.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
