NBA – Victor Wembanyama reveals his weight gain since his draft: “In theory, I could…”

Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif

Victor Wembanyama was quickly singled out by critics upon his arrival in the NBA, due to his very slight build for a center. However, it seems that the Frenchman has gained a lot of weight in the space of two years, as he recently explained.

Victor Wembanyama is an alien in every way. For starters, we’ve hardly ever seen a player like him, even in the NBA. The Frenchman is the prototype of the modern basketball player, capable of shooting three-pointers with ease… except that he plays center and is 2m24 tall.

Very comfortable with the ball in his hands for a player in his position, the player nicknamed “The Alien” since his arrival in the NBA has quickly established himself as a nightmare on both ends of the court. In addition to being able to spread the play like few other big men in the world, he is practically impenetrable under his own rim.

That being said, don’t think he has no flaws. At 21, Wemby still has significant room for improvement, for example, as he needs to adjust his selection of three-point shots, already taking nine of them per game. But observers are keeping a close eye on his physique, as while he’s a giant on the court and has a wingspan of 2m44, he’s still very slight.

Victor Wembanyama has been well-developed since his arrival in the NBA

This is actually a criticism that was made of him as early as his draft in 2023, when he barely reached 100 kilos. For a center, that’s very little… However, the Spurs star has never wanted to bulk up too much so as not to have to change his playing style and has therefore learned to find the right balance in order to gain muscle mass. A recent guest on Kevin Hart’s podcast, Wembanyama took the opportunity to talk about his physique:

I gained probably like 30 lbs. (…) Strength training, of course, but the main thing for me is I could, in theory, put on a lot of weight, but I would lose some of my mobility. Some of my athleticism. So, it’s something that needs to be done really carefully, and I have a lot of eyes and a lot of minds thinking about me in this instance.

This is a perfectly acceptable weight gain, and above all, it allows Wemby to remain an insoluble puzzle for opposing teams. He is all the more right to be careful not to change his body too much, as it is not immune to health problems. His deep vein thrombosis last February certainly reinforced his approach to things, with a view to the future.