Victor Wembanyama pulled back the curtain big time during his CBS 60 Minutes interview on Sunday, November 1. This guy is about way more than just basketball, spilling the beans on everything from meditative monks to why he’s totally obsessed with his feet. Get this, he’s a huge proponent of ditching shoes and walking around barefoot whenever he can.
Feet First: Wemby’s Obsession That Could Change the Game
Seriously, Wemby’s whole thing about going barefoot is wild, but it makes so much sense when you hear him talk about it. The 7-foot-4 “alien” is apparently “obsessed” with his feet, believing they are the absolute key to his career. He’s not wrong either: “big men have always had feet problems,” and he’s determined to avoid that fate. That’s why he’s all about finding the right shoe, or just ditching them completely. He says shoes that “respect the natural shape of the foot” are crucial because they help build foot strength. And that strength, according to Wemby, directly improves posture, knee, hip, and back health. Can you imagine the competitive edge this could give him long-term? He even told a rookie who saw him walking barefoot at practice, “I didn’t know you could just not wear shoes.” Dude wears a size 20, by the way. Talk about foundational work.
Beyond the Court: Limits, Life, and Laying Off the Elbows
It’s not all about the feet, though. Wemby got personal, sharing that a past blood clot diagnosis made him want to be less guarded. Life’s too short, he says, and “I don’t even wanna waste it being somebody else.” That’s real talk, right? He also dropped insights on how chess impacts his game, the cultural differences in social interactions between France and America, and how Gregg Popovich has mentored him. Oh, and he hosted his fellow Spurs teammates back home in Paris this past summer.
But let’s not forget the playoffs. Remember that elbow to Naz Reid and seemingly dropping Jalen Brunson? Jon Wertheim on 60 Minutes asked if that showed an “edgy Wemby,” a “villain.” But Wemby shut that down fast. He said those moments “showed my limits more than anything else.” His philosophy? “Going out there, you need to play basketball. You don’t need to beat the sh*t out of people. If you wanna win, at least.” Honestly, that quote tells you everything you need to know about his competitive fire and focus. He summed himself up by saying his curiosity is his “defining trait,” which, considering his fantasy novel love and monk meditations, totally tracks.
The Spurs just wrapped up a home game on Monday, November 2, against the Utah Jazz. Tip-off was at 7:30 p.m. on DAZN. With a player as unique and thoughtful as Wemby, you gotta wonder what else he’s going to surprise us with as the season keeps rolling.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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