Victor Wembanyama: The 60 Minutes Interview — Transcript

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1. 0:04San Antonio Spurs star center Victor
2. 0:07Wembanyama is known as the alien, a nod
3. 0:09to his supernatural size and
4. 0:11supernatural basketball skills.
5. 0:14At 7'4, Wembanyama can dunk without
6. 0:16jumping, yet he also can freeze
7. 0:18defenders with his ball handling, drain
8. 0:20three-pointers, and he is the NBA's
9. 0:23reigning Defensive Player of the Year.
10. 0:25But as nicknames go, the alien misses
11. 0:27the mark like a clunky jump shot. And
12. 0:29that Wemby, there's your nickname, is a
13. 0:32man making the most of his earthly
14. 0:33minutes. He comes from France, plays
15. 0:36pick-up chess in Manhattan parks, and
16. 0:38trains at Chinese monasteries.
17. 0:40With LeBron James turning 42 and Steph
18. 0:42Curry now 38, Wemby, age 22, is the new
19. 0:46face of the NBA. We dropped in on him
20. 0:49this preseason and found that while he
21. 0:51may be best known for his height and
22. 0:53length, it's nothing compared to his
23. 0:55depth.
24. 0:58Basketball has seen tall. Basketball has
25. 1:01seen talent.
26. 1:02>> Hello.
27. 1:03>> Hey, John.
28. 1:04>> Basketball has never seen Victor
29. 1:05Wembanyama's holy matrimony of size and
30. 1:08skill.
31. 1:09>> Oh, shut up, man.
32. 1:10>> Shut up, man.
33. 1:11>> And yet his favorite play hinges on his
34. 1:13teammates.
35. 1:14>> What part of basketball specifically
36. 1:16brings you the greatest joy?
37. 1:18>> I think alley-oops in particular.
38. 1:25>> [screaming]
39. 1:28>> Alley-oops are team play and also in
40. 1:29dunk.
41. 1:33I like alley-oops.
42. 1:34>> It's like a telepathy.
43. 1:36>> Yeah, exactly.
44. 1:37>> Then again, here's a player who can
45. 1:39eliminate the middle man in alley-oop
46. 1:41himself.
47. 1:42>> Wembanyama
48. 1:43steps through everybody, throws it to
49. 1:46himself.
50. 1:46>> Yeah.
51. 1:48So it goes for Wemby. Big men aren't
52. 1:50supposed to shoot like this.
53. 1:53Much less dribble like this.
54. 1:56It's devastating offense meets
55. 1:58demoralizing defense.
56. 2:04>> Spiked
57. 2:06into the 15th row.
58. 2:09>> No one's ever played the game like you.
59. 2:11No one has had your combination of size
60. 2:13and skill set. There's no blueprint
61. 2:15here. So, how are you figuring out,
62. 2:17how to train, how to pace yourself, how
63. 2:20to even envision your career when no
64. 2:22one's done it before you?
65. 2:23>> It's true. It is a difficulty first of
66. 2:25all because of the player that I am, but
67. 2:28also being a
68. 2:30foreigner here, growing up in totally
69. 2:32different environment.
70. 2:34And I think the key is being comfortable
71. 2:36not knowing, being comfortable
72. 2:38finding out my own answers.
73. 2:41>> Are you comfortable?
74. 2:42>> I am comfortable not knowing my answers.
75. 2:44I am comfortable walking through the
76. 2:45fog.
77. 2:46>> What's it like when you make it through
78. 2:47the fog? When you figure something out?
79. 2:50>> Those brief moments where my head peaks
80. 2:52through and I see the sun. Yeah, they're
81. 2:54great. Last year, there was this, I
82. 2:56think the month of February, we didn't
83. 2:58lose a single game.
84. 3:00This is these moments where everything
85. 3:02clicks, you know.
86. 3:04>> [cheering]
87. 3:04>> The Spurs kept clicking through the
88. 3:06spring, thanks largely to Wembanyama's
89. 3:08heroics.
90. 3:12San Antonio beat the Oklahoma City
91. 3:14Thunder to win the Western Conference,
92. 3:17but then, despite being favored in the
93. 3:19finals, they lost in five games to the
94. 3:21New York Knicks.
95. 3:23By his own admission, Wembanyama was far
96. 3:25from his best. Not least because of this
97. 3:28pick on someone your own size cheap shot
98. 3:31against Nick star Jaylen Brunson.
99. 3:35>> Last year in the finals, you were
100. 3:36portrayed as a villain. Correct me if
101. 3:39I'm wrong.
102. 3:40I didn't get the feeling that bothered
103. 3:41you.
104. 3:42>> No, it didn't because it's I'm not
105. 3:44paying attention to this during the
106. 3:46during the finals. I don't think any
107. 3:47player on either team really is.
108. 3:50>> I wondered if you didn't show, "Hey,
109. 3:52this is part of my character, too. Edgy
110. 3:54Wemby, whatever it is." But you showed a
111. 3:55new side of yourself.
112. 3:56>> It showed my limits more than
113. 3:59anything else.
114. 4:01Going out there,
115. 4:02you need to play basketball. You don't
116. 4:03need to beat the hell out of people.
117. 4:06If you want to win, at least.
118. 4:13>> That self-awareness comes from someone
119. 4:15just starting his fourth NBA season.
120. 4:18And scary for the rest of the league,
121. 4:20just clearing his throat.
122. 4:22He first appeared on scouts' radars as a
123. 4:25young teen, a bright prospect from
124. 4:27France.
125. 4:28The son of a former track athlete, dad
126. 4:31Felix 6'6, and a former basketball
127. 4:34player mother, Elodie 6'3, Wemby was the
128. 4:37most anticipated rookie since LeBron
129. 4:39James 20 years earlier.
130. 4:42It was a given he would be the top pick
131. 4:44in the 2023 draft.
132. 4:46>> How do you all? This is Wemby. We're in
133. 4:48San Antonio now.
134. 4:49>> The jump from the Paris suburbs to
135. 4:50Central Texas in one of the NBA's
136. 4:53smallest markets might be a considerable
137. 4:55one.
138. 4:57For Wemby, it was the perfect pairing of
139. 5:00player and franchise.
140. 5:01>> The franchise with the greatest coach of
141. 5:03all time.
142. 5:05The franchise with a a big French
143. 5:08history as well.
144. 5:10Yeah, just a winning a winner's
145. 5:12franchise, you know.
146. 5:13>> Greatest coach of all time, you're
147. 5:14you're talking about Pop. You're talking
148. 5:16about Gregg Popovich, who you played for
149. 5:18and got very close to. What's the most
150. 5:20important thing he ever told you?
151. 5:22>> One lesson that often comes up
152. 5:25is about humility. He often said
153. 5:28something
154. 5:29when we were in in film
155. 5:31after a win, you're rarely as good as
156. 5:33you thought you were. And after a loss,
157. 5:35you're rarely as bad as you thought you
158. 5:36were.
159. 5:37>> Popovich suffered a stroke and retired
160. 5:39from coaching in 2025, but not before
161. 5:42leading San Antonio to five NBA titles.
162. 5:45The Spurs also nurtured two all-time
163. 5:47centers and a bevy of international
164. 5:50stars. Amid all that history, Wemby
165. 5:53still stands out, starting with the
166. 5:55unique way he trains.
167. 5:57After a blood clot in his shoulder shut
168. 5:59down his second season, Wembanyama
169. 6:02doubled down on his conditioning.
170. 6:04We found him to be preoccupied, obsessed
171. 6:07even, with the ground level. That is,
172. 6:10his feet. He told us they hold the key
173. 6:13not just to his mobility, but his entire
174. 6:16career.
175. 6:18>> Because big men have always had feet
176. 6:20problems.
177. 6:22And
178. 6:23I also find more and more that feet are
179. 6:25responsible for so much more that goes
180. 6:29on It's funny because I was just talking
181. 6:31to a rookie.
182. 6:32I went to the to practice barefoot.
183. 6:35And he sees me walking without shoes and
184. 6:36he was like, I didn't know you could
185. 6:37just not wear shoes.
186. 6:39>> An evangelist for going barefoot, Wemby
187. 6:42went to work converting us.
188. 6:43>> I try to walk barefoot as much as I can.
189. 6:46And wear minimalistic shoes. Those
190. 6:48aren't minimalist, those are maximalist.
191. 6:51Those got a thick sole, you know.
192. 6:53They're looking nice though, if you want
193. 6:54to They look very nice.
194. 6:55>> But these are what you wear to just go
195. 6:57really easy on the feet. You're not
196. 6:59going to pad them. Then you just slip
197. 7:00those on.
198. 7:01>> 60 minutes interviews.
199. 7:02>> His shoe size, as you're likely
200. 7:04wondering, 20.
201. 7:06>> Basically, you need to you need to
202. 7:08strengthen your feet. And what shoes do,
203. 7:10like shoes like yours for example, they
204. 7:12don't respect the natural shape of the
205. 7:13foot.
206. 7:14>> When he was done insulting my favorite
207. 7:16pair of shoes, he concluded his
208. 7:19dissertation.
209. 7:20>> If you got a good foot strength, which
210. 7:22brings a good foot posture, everything
211. 7:24else can develop the right way. Knee,
212. 7:26hip, and back, everything.
213. 7:29>> You appreciate that. Never mind
214. 7:30athletes, not all people have your level
215. 7:33of
216. 7:34curiosity.
217. 7:35>> Yeah, it's the defining trait of mine.
218. 7:38>> In the summer of 2025, curiosity took
219. 7:41him to China, where he went to live,
220. 7:43learn kung fu, and meditate alongside
221. 7:46Buddhist monks.
222. 7:47>> How'd you do with it?
223. 7:49>> Uh,
224. 7:50it was hard because they push you to the
225. 7:52next level.
226. 7:54It was really hard. I think the first
227. 7:56very first day
228. 7:58it was an hour 40 of meditation, silence
229. 8:01to complete silence.
230. 8:03It was crazy. It was really hard.
231. 8:04>> You've never done anything like that.
232. 8:06>> Nothing close to that.
233. 8:08>> What was the longest you could go
234. 8:09meditating?
235. 8:10>> I was probably locked in for 30 minutes.
236. 8:13And then a an hour and a half wondering
237. 8:16how much longer is it going to
238. 8:18go on for. Yeah.
239. 8:20>> Someone told me you meditate briefly in
240. 8:22between free throws.
241. 8:24>> You could call that meditation, I guess.
242. 8:26>> Where do your thoughts go?
243. 8:27>> I think centering back.
244. 8:29Uh, you know, thinking that it's it's at
245. 8:32the end of the day it's just a regular
246. 8:33shot. Because when you try to make it
247. 8:34too technical, it becomes like a robot.
248. 8:39>> You trying to think about nothing or
249. 8:41think about something very specifically?
250. 8:44>> Nothing for a second and then focusing
251. 8:46on making the shot.
252. 8:47>> You know your free throw percentage?
253. 8:49>> 82.
254. 8:49>> I was going to say it was like 82%.
255. 8:51You're doing something right.
256. 8:53>> Could be better.
257. 8:54>> Not by much. Historically, NBA centers
258. 8:57have averaged less than 70%.
259. 9:01>> [cheering and applause]
260. 9:02>> This past summer, Wemby returned to
261. 9:04France, where, no surprise, he's wildly
262. 9:06popular.
263. 9:07We joined him in Nanterre, the district
264. 9:09outside Paris where he was first spotted
265. 9:12as a teenager.
266. 9:14He runs an annual tournament here that
267. 9:16combines his sport
268. 9:18with another of his curiosities.
269. 9:21He popped in for a game of one-on-one
270. 9:22with a fellow prodigy. This one, age
271. 9:25nine.
272. 9:30>> As opponents go, how tough was Louise?
273. 9:33>> Was she the last one with the glasses?
274. 9:34>> Yeah.
275. 9:36>> She was
276. 9:37She was She was tough.
277. 9:39>> The New York Knicks needed five games to
278. 9:41beat Wemby. Louise?
279. 9:4316 minutes.
280. 9:45>> [applause]
281. 9:46>> Explain the basketball-chess overlap. Is
282. 9:49there a basketball-chess overlap?
283. 9:51>> Yes, there is. I find that chess is a
284. 9:53lot about decision-making. And that
285. 9:55looks like basketball a lot, at least in
286. 9:57theory.
287. 9:59Because there are some
288. 10:01theoretical good moves.
289. 10:03>> We got Bulls on 3. 1 2 3.
290. 10:06>> On the same trip home, he hosted his
291. 10:08Spurs teammates.
292. 10:10First on the court,
293. 10:12then on the Seine.
294. 10:14>> What did you want to show them about
295. 10:17your country or culture?
296. 10:20>> I wanted to show them, you know, the the
297. 10:22refinement at times, but also how I I
298. 10:26I would take care of them, you know,
299. 10:28because it's
300. 10:29it really matters to me. But it it
301. 10:32did more for me than for them that they
302. 10:34came because
303. 10:35because I don't know, I just take it
304. 10:37very
305. 10:38it goes straight to my heart.
306. 10:40>> What about the reverse, when friends and
307. 10:42family in in France say, "What's it like
308. 10:44living in the US?"
309. 10:45>> When they ask me what's what it's like
310. 10:47to live in the US, my answer is always,
311. 10:48"Well, I don't know because I I don't
312. 10:50live a normal life
313. 10:52in the US. I live the life of an
314. 10:53athlete, of a a rich person,
315. 10:56uh you know, the life of somebody that's
316. 10:58going to have everything taken care
317. 11:00taken care of, you know, no matter what
318. 11:02I do, really.
319. 11:03So, it's not it's not the life of a an
320. 11:06the regular American.
321. 11:09But, um
322. 11:10it's it's the best country to be an
323. 11:11athlete in.
324. 11:12>> You acknowledge you don't live a typical
325. 11:14existence here. But you but even so,
326. 11:16what about this country has struck you?
327. 11:19>> Good or bad?
328. 11:20>> One of each.
329. 11:21>> Good is how like you never it feels like
330. 11:25you're never judged for being ambitious.
331. 11:28Bad, I would say uh
332. 11:30I think the
333. 11:32social interactions
334. 11:34are more shallow here, more not as
335. 11:36in-depth as uh what I've seen in other
336. 11:38countries.
337. 11:40>> Shortly after we visited with Wemby in
338. 11:42Texas, student protests broke out in his
339. 11:45home country.
340. 11:47>> "I hear them and I support them," he
341. 11:50said of the students.
342. 11:51>> This candor is part of the Wemby deal,
343. 11:54double-teamed yet unguarded, unafraid to
344. 11:57display emotion.
345. 11:59And he can trace the origin.
346. 12:02>> Was there a moment when you said, "I
347. 12:03don't want to be guarded anymore?"
348. 12:06>> Uh yeah.
349. 12:08There is.
350. 12:09I think [snorts] the the the condition I
351. 12:11had early 2025, uh the thrombosis, it's
352. 12:15uh
353. 12:16had a huge huge impact on this.
354. 12:19>> He's referring to that blood clot which
355. 12:21changed his outlook.
356. 12:22>> After that, it's like life's so short. I
357. 12:25don't I don't even want to
358. 12:27waste it being somebody else,
359. 12:29you know? Simple as that.
360. 12:32>> The new NBA season is less than 2 weeks
361. 12:34old. The league's new face and tallest
362. 12:37starting player comes with outsized
363. 12:40ambitions, both for his team
364. 12:44and for himself.
365. 12:47>> You were up front last year.
366. 12:49I should have won the MVP. You made a
367. 12:51strong case. I'm guessing your your
368. 12:53views haven't changed on that.
369. 12:54>> You should have won the MVP?
370. 12:55>> It's what you said.
371. 12:56>> Did I?
372. 12:57>> Should you have won the MVP last year?
373. 12:59>> Uh
374. 13:01no.
375. 13:03I should win it this year, though.