The San Antonio Spurs are entering NBA Training Camp with a clear spotlight on Victor Wembanyama, whose season was cut short by a blood clot that fueled a more “violent” offseason training approach. What came next was a routine that teammates describe as unlike anything they had ever seen.
Julian Champagnie witnessed it firsthand. During one brutal drill, every Spurs player took turns trying to score on Victor Wembanyama. Each got a moment to breathe, but not him. The 7-foot-4 center defended every possession, sprinted the full court, and did it again without pause. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone work out like that,” Champagnie said. “It’s crazy to see.”
The shift in mindset traces back to the months he spent sidelined. Watching games in street clothes and undergoing constant medical checks left him restless. When he returned to the floor, his goal was not just to play but to dominate with new intensity. He called it “violent” training, a word that reflects both the physical demand and his emotional determination to take back control of his body.
“This summer, I chose to do something much more violent,” Wembanyama said at Spurs media day. “Maybe that takes away from some time I can spend on shooting the basketball, but it doesn’t matter. I wanted to get my body back.” His words captured a player who no longer takes health or opportunity for granted.
For the Spurs, this version of Victor Wembanyama is exactly what they need heading into NBA Training Camp, where the blood clot that once sidelined him now fuels a stronger, more aggressive presence in the paint. Training camp is only the beginning, but the signs point to a star who turned recovery into reinvention.
Will Victor Wembanyama’s violent edge power the Spurs through the battles of the NBA season and redefine what dominance looks like?
