Unveiling the brutal training of the Wenban class: Shaolin practice leading to life insights, ultimate discipline aiming for perfection

On October 3rd Beijing time, with the Spurs’ opening preseason game approaching, fans are filled with excitement for Wembanyama’s third year. The respected American media The Athletic wrote an article revealing the intense training Wembanyama underwent this summer. How exactly did the 21-year-old Spurs rookie challenge himself? Here are the main points from the article—

When Wembanyama once again missed his own shot, Spurs player Champagne suddenly realized an issue. This Spurs wing watched teammates take turns trying to score against the team’s core center Wembanyama, then repeatedly sprint back to the other end of the court to challenge him again, but the outcome never changed.

One by one, they launched attacks on Wembanyama, only to be stifled by his defense just like many players in the NBA. Fortunately, while waiting in line, they had moments to catch their breath and figure out how to break through his defense.

But there was only one person who didn’t rest for a single moment throughout the entire session — that was Wembanyama.

The drill was simple: he had to guard every player in the gym one-on-one continuously without pause. After defending against all of them, he had to sprint to the other end of the court and immediately start the next round of defense.

“I’ve never seen anyone train like this,” Champagne said in an interview with The Athletic. “It was absolutely insane.”

In February this year, Wembanyama’s season ended early due to a blood clot, which forced him to rethink his life. Frequent medical check-ups and watching games from the sidelines gradually weighed heavily on him. When basketball and health suddenly slipped away, he chose to embark on a global journey to find himself.

Upon returning, Wembanyama threw himself into training with fierce determination. “This summer’s training was brutally intense,” he said. The previously mentioned “demonic defensive training” was part of that regimen.

“This summer, I deliberately opted for a more ‘extreme’ training approach,” Wembanyama explained, “which might take away some time from shooting practice, but that’s okay because my primary goal is to restore my physical condition.” The 2023 first overall pick possesses rare physical gifts in NBA history—his barefoot height now reaches 2.24 meters.

He has put in efforts beyond ordinary imagination—since his growth spurt began, he has followed a complex physical training program. When he first entered the league, many doubted if his body could withstand the NBA’s physicality. Over the first two seasons, he dispelled these doubts with his performance, until the deep vein thrombosis appeared, bringing a new obstacle to his career. Wembanyama has been fighting to extend his athletic longevity, but this setback came unexpectedly.

Throughout the spring, he frequently visited hospitals, confronting the risk that his career and even life might end. This player, who always relied on “outworking everyone” to protect his “exceptional” body, ultimately faced a dangerous “unexpected condition.” After the blood clot issue eased and doctors allowed him to travel again, he chose to temporarily escape the pain and frustration.

At the Shaolin Temple in Henan, China, Wembanyama practiced meditation and Shaolin kung fu—a place ideal for “finding oneself.” There, he encountered a culture centered on “gratefulness for life’s details,” and those subtle realizations ultimately formed profound life insights.

“This experience taught me lessons that nothing else could replace,” he said. Wembanyama explained that the trip to China broadened his worldview and deepened his empathy. When the body suffers severe trauma and one’s outlook on life is challenged, redefining the “self” and learning to understand others become especially important.

“That painful experience is closely tied to everything I did this summer,” Wembanyama said. “I deeply realized that life isn’t eternal, and some moments, once missed, never return—this is inevitable, but I want to leave as few regrets as possible. I want to experience more of life, and this journey was exactly what I wanted to do.”

Returning from such a soul-stirring journey, and then comparing it to life in the U.S., it’s natural to find things somewhat “superficial.” Yet, back in America, Wembanyama rediscovered his purpose and energy. The trip to China exposed his already curious mind to new experiences both in basketball and life.

Back in Texas, Wembanyama made a special trip to Houston to visit NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the headquarters of the Axiom Space Station. Known as the “alien,” the player enthusiastically recalled meeting astronaut Peggy Whitson—who has spent 695 days in space, the longest time for any American and worldwide female astronaut.

“I felt like a kid, looking at all the machines, spacecraft, and every simulated space device or equipment about to be sent to space—it was incredible,” he said. Wembanyama’s fascination with space travel details is obvious; this curiosity extends beyond basketball and is not merely a stress reaction to the “blood clot at 21” ordeal—this is the root of why he can be a “top player.”

This summer, when his recovery progressed enough to return to the court, his curiosity led him to teammate Harrison Barnes. He hoped to join the veteran wing’s training in Los Angeles alongside skills coach Noah LaRoche—LaRoche employs the “Constraint-Led Approach” (CLA), arranging a two-week training program for them.

The CLA method replaces traditional fixed drills with “game scenario training,” forcing Wembanyama to react to simulated match situations at every stage. This training helps the brain and body develop a habit of “finding optimal solutions in real-time” rather than relying on predictable “fixed move sets” that defenders can anticipate.

“Wembanyama loves learning,” Champagne said, “so whatever Noah teaches him, he quickly masters and constantly strives to improve.”

The CLA method also helps players build a “shared tactical understanding” and teaches them “flexible transitions between moves”—the better a player reads the game, the easier it is to spot opportunities to create advantages.

The core of CLA training is not to “memorize playbooks,” but to “grasp the essence of basketball,” freeing players from the limitations of fixed tactics.By the second week, Wembanyama told LaRoche that his body was starting to adapt to the CLA movement patterns. When he let go of his fixed ideas about “how to play,” his body regained its rhythm.

“It’s easy for him; he knows all the key positions and where to go,” Champagne said. “It’s completely natural. Obviously, Wembanyama is Wembanyama—he’s a ‘chosen one’ with abilities that can’t be taught. I think he just found the most comfortable rhythm in the game flow, which allows him to keep his unique traits while discovering another way to play.”

Wembanyama’s most outstanding trait is “discipline”—his training routine is intense and unwavering daily: early morning sessions, leaving the gym late, sometimes returning for extra workouts and staying until very late; he trains twice a day.Reportedly, Wembanyama maintains this pace five to six times a week, while most players struggle to manage three or four.

“I can guarantee no one trained harder than me this summer,” Wembanyama said. “This is the best summer of my career, with unbelievable progress. I feel better, look stronger, and the scale shows I’ve gained weight—all indicators are improving, and everything is moving in the right direction.”

His body once caused him great struggles, but now, he is fighting back with full force.