Victor Wembanyama: Chess, monks and a trip to Nasa

The 2025 NBA All-Star Game in February was the last time Victor Wembanyama stepped on to an NBA court.

Three days later, the 21-year-old French forward was ruled out for the remainder of the season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.

It is a condition that can threaten both an athlete's career and their life.

Eight months on, the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year will start his third campaign as the San Antonio Spurs take on the Dallas Mavericks.

Wembanyama is returning to the league as a man transformed and has been tipped to pick up from where he left off in February.

Physically, he has had a growth spurt - officially listed with a height of 7ft 4in (2.24m) - one inch taller than last season. Some reports suggest he is closer to 7ft 5in.

Wembanyama also has a listed weight of 16st 11lb (106.6kg), dropping two pounds since 2023, but he told actor Kevin Hart that he has actually gained "probably like 30 pounds" during his two years in the NBA.

That growth in size and power has been downplayed by Wembanyama himself and Spurs officials, but it has only added to the excitement around the French star's return.

With an average of 17 points, nearly nine rebounds and four assists in pre-season, 'Wemby' is playing as if he has never been away.

In an off-season that started two months earlier than planned, due to injury, Wembanyama's popularity has continued to soar.

En route to becoming the fastest player in NBA history to attract a combined total of one billion social media followers and likes on posts across platforms, Wembanyama made the most of his time off the court.

Athletes often holiday in their downtime, but Wembanyama went one step further - spending 10 days at a Shaolin Temple in Zhengzhou, China, training with monks.

His travelling did not stop there. Videos emerged of him playing football with locals in Costa Rica and Tokyo.

Nicknamed 'the Alien', Wembanyama also visited Nasa's Johnson Space Centre, hosted a chess and basketball tournament at his own court in Le Chesnay in France and met Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe.

Wembanyama is also an avid reader, often found engrossed in a book in the hours leading up to games.

"He is so intentional in the variety of ways that he tries to improve as a player and person," said Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson.

"It's constantly trying to push himself out of his comfort zone and learn new things."

On the court, the 1994 NBA Most Valuable Player and 12-time NBA all-star Hakeem Olajuwon invited Wembanyama to train privately with him in one of the most exclusive camps in the sport. Previous attendees include LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the late Kobe Bryant.

He also trained with another great of the sport, Kevin Garnett, on his road to Wednesday's long-awaited return.

While Wembanyama said all of his extra-curricular summer activities "deserved respect", he puts a return to full basketball fitness above them all - helped by time spent with Olajuwon and Garnett.

"I can assure you nobody has trained like I did this summer," added the French star.

"I think I've maxed out what I could do in one summer. Now, I need to play basketball."

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