There is more to Victor Wembanyama's visit to China than just leisure.
The San Antonio Spurs player is currently in Zhengzhou, China, for what is anticipated to be a ten-day stint at a Shaolin temple. Visitors who want to learn about Shaolin Kung Fu, Chan meditation, traditional Chinese medicine, and other topics are welcome at the temple.
Wembanyama's presence at the temple was confirmed by the NBA China office, and the temple itself was acknowledged by some Chinese media. Part of a social media post on the NBA's Weibo account stated, "Concentrate on training!" and also disclosed the 10-day stay intentions.
However, the information was already being revealed via other social media channels.
This week, pictures of Wembanyama wearing a robe similar to those of the other monks and sporting a shaved head (which he had not yet shaved when he arrived in China) began circulating on social media. In one of the pictures, the 7-foot-4 center was seated in front of many Buddha statues on a Chinese-style chair.
Earlier in the trip, there was obviously some sightseeing as well.
Victor Wembanyama is live from China and is having a great time on the Great Wall. In a video that the Spurs account and others uploaded to Instagram, he said, "It's crazy."
Wembanyama is expected to return to the United States in the upcoming weeks and is likely to be part of the Spurs' team traveling to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League next month.
Like many other teams, the Spurs frequently have a large number of NBA players on their roster for different events in the summer league.
Despite his season ending in February shortly after his first All-Star Game participation due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the 21-year-old Frenchman led the NBA in blocked shots during the regular season.
The French national team has also stated that they hope Wembanyama will be able to play for his country at this summer's European championships, and the Spurs are hopeful that he will be able to start when the next season starts.
Wembanyama was predicted to be a strong contender for defensive player of the year this season after winning the league's rookie of the year award the previous season. When the DVT was discovered, he was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.7 assists.
He also tried 403 3-pointers and blocked 176 shots this season, which is a record no player in NBA history has ever ended a season with.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975–76 was the only other player in NBA history to average all those numbers at the end of a season.
In other headlines about sports today...
The Bucks intend to keep building around the star, Giannis Antetokounmpo, who has not asked to be traded.
As the offseason draws near, Giannis Antetokounmpo has not provided any new information regarding his preferred activities, one month after he was said to be open-minded about leaving the Milwaukee Bucks.
Since the Bucks have not received any trade requests, the front staff intends for Antetokounmpo to stay with the team and will keep developing around him.
"There's a reason we haven't because Giannis Antetokounmpo has gone overseas to travel with his family," Brian Windhorst responded when asked on Get Up why there haven't been any updates. "He hasn't asked the Bucks for a trade. He hasn't given the Bucks any trade hints. The Bucks are approaching their summer as though Giannis might join them. Furthermore, there are currently no meaningful trade negotiations.
"Giannis Antetokounmpo is supposed to be a Buck. He only needs to make a small request to modify all of that, but it hasn't been fulfilled. Furthermore, it's unclear when the request will be fulfilled.
Antetokounmpo, who just finished in the top three for MVP, won't be able to sign a contract until 2027.
According to Shams Charania's report from late May, Antetokounmpo was still thinking about his future and that the matter might be settled in one way or another when free agency got underway.