We already knew that Victor Wembanyama was one of the most exciting prospects in basketball history.
Wembanyama has a unique blend of size and skill that we have never seen before. But even though he has a once-in-a-generation type of trajectory on the basketball court, a professional career requires far more than just talent and physicality.
In order to have long-term success in the NBA, or any career for that matter, you also need to have the right approach. Fortunately, it also seems that the French big man seems to have a good head on his shoulders as well.
Here is what he told JJ Redick during a recent interview (via The Old Man & The Three):
“I know I’m never going to lose grasp of reality and do some [expletive] because I know what I want. I’m driven from the inside of my heart. Nothing can put me out of my path. I do everything I can so I deserve what I get. I think some players are really talented, physically or technically, really really talented. But their mind isn’t as good as their body is. You know what I’m saying? So they get results and they get titles and they get drafted or whatever. But truly they don’t deserve what they get. They [expletive] up afterwards.”
Wembanyama continued, explaining how he developed this approach:
“My totem is something bigger than basketball. It’s just life. It’s just accomplishing yourself inside this universe. When I need motivation and I need energy and I feel tired and I need to fight it out on the court and it’s hard, I always remember I’m free in the universe. I do whatever I can and I know what I want to do and nothing is going to stop me from doing it. I always got that in mind and it doesn’t just stop at basketball. It’s about life.”
Redick then told his co-host, Tommy Alter, that he thinks Wembanyama has already reached “enlightenment” at just 19 years old.
The craziest part is that Wembanyama said he wasn’t even sure if he had properly communicated his point well because English is not actually his first language.
