men’s
pro-d2
The prominent San Antonio Spurs frontcourt player, Victor Wembanyama, has spent this past week working out alongside Pro D2 promotion candidates Provence Rugby at the Maurice-David Stadium.
The 22-year-old basketball star, who grew up in the western Parisian suburb of Le Chesnay, was selected first overall in the 2023 NBA draft and has already secured two NBA All-Star selections. Throughout the week, he participated in several field training exercises with the team coached by Philippe Saint-André.
While he recently helped France secure an Olympic silver medal at the Paris Games, there is almost no chance of the 7-foot-4-inch athlete transitioning to rugby permanently, particularly after signing a massive five-year, £186 million contract extension with the Spurs last month.
Wembanyama, who trained alongside Chinese monks last summer, previously utilized Brive’s training facilities while recovering from a surgical procedure to clear a shoulder blood clot, which had sidelined him from participating in full rugby practices back then.
However, no such issues hindered him this time, and he was joined on his trip by fellow Spurs teammate Harrison Barnes. The pair watched from the stands yesterday evening as Provence defeated Nice 42-19 in a pre-season friendly match.
In a parallel to Provence—who dropped the Pro D2 championship game 18-14 to Vannes before falling 47-24 to Perpignan in the relegation playoff—the Spurs were defeated in the NBA Finals last season by the New York Knicks.
Wembanyama, who played soccer in his youth before dedicating himself to basketball, mentioned in a conversation with ESPN earlier this year that he regretted not being able to practice with Brive last summer.
“One objective I couldn’t fit into my schedule last summer was working out with a rugby squad, given that the movement mechanics are very similar and can carry over to my own game. These crossover concepts are incredibly valuable.
“I usually default to taking on a bit too much, with too many training goals and plans, but you don’t really know your limits until you try,” he noted.
