Spurs star Victor Wembanyama’s death-defying China mountain treks revealed

If there was any doubt before, the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama has eradicated it with his performances this season. The Defensive Player of the Year is the most influential player across both ends of the court, and now looks intent on changing the balance in the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

And well, we may now know the secret behind Wembanyama’s success, and the way he has held his own in the first postseason of his career. According to ESPN, Wemby’s offseason work led to him training at the Shaolin Temple in China under Master Yan’an, a Shaolin warrior monk who has trained there since age six.

“I told him: You play basketball, and I do kung fu. If you want to be great, you have to do things that other people can’t do.”

Master Yan’an spoke about the night treks, even joking that Wemby almost hit the trees at times.

“The only way to go is step by step. Listen to your breath and listen to your heart. Feel each step with your foot. Use your awareness. There are two parts to climbing the mountain. The daytime is for your body. Your endurance, your strength. The nighttime is for your mind. Your awareness.”

Wembanyama joined Master Yan’an and Shaolin monks for a nighttime climb to Bodhidharma Cave. The route was completed in complete darkness without artificial light. According to Master Yan’an, the objective was not speed or physical output but awareness and mental control.

The training staff accompanying Wembanyama reportedly had concerns entering the climb because of both the difficulty and risk involved.

“I told him: You play basketball, and I do kung fu. If you want to be great, you have to do things that other people can’t do. Talent is not enough. You need to put in the work, too. Victor has both. He has hard work, and he has talent.”

The Spurs center was also instructed to dribble a basketball through another mountain route leading toward Sanhuangzhai, a monastery located within the Song Mountains. The trail included suspension bridges, cliffside plank walkways, ancient forest paths, uneven stone terrain, and approximately 2,500 feet of elevation gain. According to Master Yan’an, average hikers generally require seven to eight hours to complete the route. Wembanyama completed it while continuously dribbling a basketball in four and a half hours.

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