Victor Wembanyama is having the best season of his young NBA career, leading the San Antonio Spurs to their first Western Conference finals appearance since 2017 after earning unanimous Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Considering Wembanyama’s busy offseason, which included a trip to China to train with Shaolin monks, his dominant campaign was not entirely surprising. He also spent time with 2004 MVP Kevin Garnett over the summer, and the NBA legend recently shed light on their link-up.
Kevin Garnett Details His Offseason Meetup With Victor Wembanyama
Wembanyama made headlines when he traveled to China last summer to train at a Shaolin temple for two weeks. After returning to San Antonio, he also worked out with Houston Rockets icon Hakeem Olajuwon and later met with Garnett.
During Thursday’s episode of “KG Certified,” Garnett discussed his experience with the Spurs phenom and admitted he was unsure how Wembanyama would receive him because of his history with San Antonio.
“I ain’t never met Wemby in my life, I don’t know if he know anything about me or what he knows or what the narrative is. You know, it’s San Antonio, them motherf**kers hate me down there. I’m talking about H-A-T-E, I’m the villain villain down there. So, I wasn’t expecting nothing positive, if I’m being honest,” Garnett began, referencing his past rivalry with the Tim Duncan-era Spurs.
However, the Hall of Famer quickly realized Wembanyama was focused solely on learning and improving.
“But when I sat down with him, man, he was super smart. … super intel, he doesn’t answer anything fast, he thinks about everything that you’re saying, and then it came to a point where we was talking basketball,” Garnett continued.
“I didn’t get to train. I didn’t get to get him on the court. He was working out on a football field doing some agility work … and then we just talked on some mentor, on some big bro s**t.”
Garnett also shared his thoughts on Wembanyama’s China trip, suggesting the decision reflected the young superstar’s thoughtful approach to growth both on and off the court.
“He already had an idea of how he want to come into the season, and then he went to go see the monks for something totally other than basketball,” the 15-time All-Star added.
“And when I put all that together, I saw what he was building. … I like that he’s controlled chaos, but he’s very smart, very high IQ, and that’s what I took from it.”
Wembanyama’s grueling offseason has paid off and then some, as he finished the regular season averaging a career-high 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.1 blocks per game.
The 22-year-old has also thrived in his first playoff run, averaging 22.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks a night. The Spurs are currently battling the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder in the West finals, with the series tied 1-1 heading into Game 3 in San Antonio on Friday.
