Victor Wembanyama is an unprecedented talent who is leading the San Antonio Spurs to a potentially unprecedented championship campaign, but his greatness alone is not just what makes him so unique. He is not like most 22-year-old modern-day athletes. The man spent a couple of weeks with monks at the Shaolin Temple and brought his teammates to a screening of horror hit “Obsession” in order to “wind down” after an exhausting seven-game series versus the Oklahoma City Thunder.
As the kids say, Wembanyama is built differently. He also does not refrain form speaking his mind, a trait that is rarely found in third-year players who may feel inclined to pay their dues before pumping their chest out. His most accomplished former teammate believes the French superstar’s candidness is one of his best qualities.
“Just his mentality, I think that’s why everyone appreciates him,” future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul told “The Pat McAfee Show” on Tuesday. “He doesn’t say what everybody thinks he’s supposed to say. He says his real feelings, his real emotions, and he could do that because he invested the work and he invested the time.”
“He’s going to make you question everything you’ve even learned about the game.”
Chris Paul with HIGH praise for Wemby ahead of Game 1 of the NBA Finals
(via @PatMcAfeeShow) pic.twitter.com/Sjjj6ZlGco
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 2, 2026
Paul joined the Spurs ahead of the 2024-25 season for the opportunity to play for legendary head coach Gregg Popovich, and to play with the 7-foot-5 Victor Wembanyama. Unfortunately, both men experienced health problems and were therefore unable to get a full CP3 experience. But the 11-time All-NBA selection still got to see the potential face of the NBA inch closer to his monumental ceiling.
One year later, Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio have ended a six-season playoff drought and are competing for the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
No. 1 has ruffled feathers throughout the playoffs and is becoming a polarizing figure — elbowed Naz Reid in the neck, did not talk to the media after a rough Game 5 performance versus OKC and was accused by fans of instructing fellow Spurs big men Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo to commit hard fouls in garbage time — but he does not seem fazed by public perception.
Wembanyama knows what everyone else does: legacies are often defined by hardware. He intends to significantly boost his and that of the franchise when San Antonio battles the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals. Chris Paul and the basketball-watching world will tune in on Wednesday night to see if this Alien can continue his hoops invasion.
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