Victor Wembanyama is already on a path to become one of the greatest players in NBA history.Wemby can also become a world champion before he turns 24-years-old, and the French phenom put his rigorous mental training with monks at the Shaolin Temple in China to use during last season’s NBA Finals vs the New York Knicks.Victor Wembanyama is obsessed with winning the NBA FinalsgettyThe evolution and legacy of Victor WembanyamaHe scored 32 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists in a crucial Game 3 win for the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden.But the Spurs blew a 29-point lead in Game 4 at MSG, and Jalen Brunson became the king of New York after the Knicks won the Finals 4-1. “Wemby has got a chance to be the greatest player of all time,” two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash exclusively told talkSPORT. “Now, he’s got a long way to go to get there. Winning a championship in Year 3 would go a long way towards proving that.“But the combination of skillsets – size, length, agility, his ability with the ball. His defensive skills are ahead of his offensive skills.”Year 3 didn’t happen for Wemby but Year 4 is on the horizon, and the Spurs open their 2026-27 season vs Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday in a Western Conference finals rematch. Below talkSPORT breaks down everything you need to know about the NBA’s hottest young star. Wemby ‘hungry’ for NBA championship The kid from Le Chesnay — a suburb located about 12 miles from Paris — is now the reigning NBA Defensive Player of the Year via a unanimous vote. Wembanyama also became the first player in the last 40 NBA seasons to record more than 4,000 points and 600 blocks before turning 23, while finishing third in NBA MVP voting and being named to the All-NBA first team. Best known as ‘Wemby,’ the 7ft 4in and 235lb center wears No. 1 and was overcome with emotion after his Spurs fought through a 3-2 deficit to top the Thunder on the road in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals.Wemby has already become an NBA international superstargettyHis confidence is matched by his on-the-court intensitygetty“Realizing that some part of the childhood dream is going to come true. Even though we’re still hungry for one more, this moment, I can’t explain it — it’s so powerful,” Wembanyama told NBC, after being named the series MVP. “This doesn’t mean anything, but the fact that we’re a team. We’ve done that together — this is for all of us and for all the fans right here.”The new face of the small-market San Antonio franchise is the NBA’s best young player since LeBron James, has been inspired by Hakeem ‘The Dream’ Olajuown and could command a contract extension in the $250 million range.The French phenom and former No. 1 overall draft pick will take his talents overseas in January 2027 as the Spurs head back to his homeland for the NBA’s international games, which will be held in Paris and Manchester, England.Inside Wemby’s unique lifestyle and passion for lifeFighting for a spot in the 2025-26 NBA Finals began in the previous season for Wemby, who was shut down by the Spurs after 46 games due to a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis, a serious blood clot in his right shoulder.“Coming back from what I came back from, it’s the best example that life is short,” Wembanyama told ESPN.Before the NBA, Wembanyama was a superstar for French side Mets 92Getty“A career is short. There’s no time to waste. … That moment, I remember clearly, it was like five minutes of total breakdown. Obviously crying and sadness, maybe feeling the fragility of life and health.“Basketball wasn’t my priority all of a sudden, as it had been for years and years of my life. I needed time to find myself again and then to get better.”A big man who could follow James, Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan in NBA history underwent a major transformation during the offseason and spent 10 days training with monks at a Shaolin Temple in China.Wemby loves to play chess, learned to speak fluent English by watching American TV shows and Instagram videos, studied everything from life to economic sciences in school, and has decreased his use of ‘blue light’ use to improve his rest during the NBA playoffs. He’s also a big science fiction and Star Wars fan, who lists Brandon Sanderson as a favorite author, regularly reads books before Spurs games, grew up playing football as a goalkeeper and learnt judo in his childhood. “Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years, well, he’s more like an alien,” James said in 2022. “I’ve never seen — no one’s ever seen — anyone as tall as he is, but as fluid and as graceful on the floor.”Wembanyama’s French basketball rootsSporting excellence runs in Wembanyama’s family. His dad, Félix, was a track and field athlete who competed in the high jump, long jump and triple jump.Wemby’s mom, Elodie de Fautereau, is a French basketball coach and former player. She helped teach her son the game, and shaped him into the generational talent he has become.View Tweet: https://x.com/BTSmithUK?ref_src=twsrc%5EtfwWembanyama is also a big Paris Saint-Germain supporter and backed PSG to defeat Premier League squad Arsenal in the Champions League final. “At least PSG are gonna make it somewhat fun — because I know Arsenal ain’t!” he said on Amazon Prime. Before entering the NBA Draft, a teenage Wembanyama played professional basketball in France, and became the second-youngest person to feature in the EuroCup when he made his debut for Nanterre 92 at 15 years, nine months and 25 days old.He went on to play in the EuroLeague with ASVEL and later joined Metropolitans 92 of the LNB Pro A for the 2022-23 season.Wemby declared for the NBA Draft at the conclusion of that campaign and became the second European player to go No. 1 overall (Andrea Bargnani in 2006), while joining Spurs legends David Robinson and Tim Duncan as top picks. “He’s his own player, own person,” Kevin Durant said. “He’s going to create his own lane and is much different than anyone else who has played.”The athletic traits that make Wemby an ‘Alien’In a roster update ahead of the 2026-27 season, San Antonio listed Wemby at 7ft 4in and 235lb.That measurement made him the co-tallest player in the NBA, alongside Zach Edey of the Memphis Grizzlies.The Rise of WembyBorn: January 4, 2004 in Le Chesnay, FranceAge: 22Vitals: 7ft 4in, 235lbDraft: No. 1 overall pick in 2023Career stats: 23.4 points, 11 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 3.1 blocks, 48.4 FG%, 34.2 3pt%, 81.7 FT%Honors: Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, All-NBA first teamFavorite food: Breakfast tacos Hobbies: Reading fantasy and science fiction novels, chessChildhood sports: Football, judoDid you know? Wemby has been influenced by “Yumi and the Nightmare Painter” by Brandon Sanderson, “The Witch of Whispervale” by R.A. Salvatore and “The Eye of the World” by Robert Jordan.Wembanyama also boasts the longest wingspan in the league (8ft), which allows the Spurs big man to float freely from the paint to the perimeter and back, barely having to jump to dunk a basketball and blocking shots with surreal ease.Fast-break slams, top-of-the-key 3-pointers, touch passes in the paint, pick-and-pop jumpers and soft floaters in the lane are all the norm with Wemby, who started Game 7 vs the Thunder by bringing the ball up the court and serving as the Spurs’ point guard.“Wemby man … unbelievable,” tweeted Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, after Wembanyama scored 41 points, grabbed 24 rebounds and only committed one turnover in 49 minutes of double-overtime victory over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander‘s Thunder in Game 1. “Wemby. Wow,” tweeted Ben Stiller, briefly forgetting that he’s a Knicks fan and is supposed to be focused on New York trying to beat the Spurs in the NBA Finals. “WEMBY IS F***ING RIDICULOUS,” tweeted guard Dejounte Murray, who spent five years playing with the Spurs.The rising value of everything Wemby When he entered the NBA, Wemby signed a four-year, $55 million rookie contract with the Spurs.Almost $25m of that is guaranteed, and he earns an average annual salary of just under $13.8m.Wemby became emotional after reaching the NBA FinalsgettyThere was only one winner in Wemby vs ChetgettyHe is set to significantly expand his bank account once that initial deal expires.Starting in the 2026 offseason, Wemby will be eligible to sign a five-year, $271m rookie extension, which would kick in for the 2027-28 season.The jersey from his NBA debut also sold for $762,000 at Sotheby’s, while a 1-of-1 numbered 2023-24 Panini Prizm Black parallel card sold for $5.11 million.How does he Wemby compare to other NBA icons?Before he entered the NBA as a rookie, Wembanyama wore a size 20.5 shoe (size 55 in Europe).According to Sports Illustrated, Shaquille O’Neal, Bob Lanier and Taco Fall are the only players in NBA history to wear a larger shoe (size 22).Wemby inked a mega-money deal with Nike valued at more than $100m before he even stepped foot on an NBA court. Last year, Nike revealed his ‘Alien’ logo that has since been applied to player-exclusive colorways.NBA's GreatestGreatest NBA players in the world right now – from Luka Doncic to Spurs phenom Victor WembanyamaBest players in NBA history to never win a championship – James Harden and Carmelo Anthony to Allen Iverson and Karl Malone10 richest owners in the NBA – family empires, media moguls and investment gurusMichael Jordan’s top 10 scoring games – counting down MJ’s most extraordinary totalsWemby is also a brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton and has major sponsorship deals with Fanatics, 2K Sports and Barcode. The hard-dunking, shot-swatting French native has also brought European football-style fan support to the NBA.Wemby created ‘The Jackals’ fan section with the Spurs, which began with a search for ‘high-energy fans’ who could attend at least 75 percent of San Antonio’s home games and were willing to participate in “chants and rituals.”For $999, a super fan is given access to a ticket for every Spurs home game and watches the best young player in the NBA live out his French childhood dream. But all that matters for Wemby this season is returning to the Finals, then winning his first world championship ring. Join talkSPORT’s dedicated US Sports YouTube channel The S* Word every Tuesday and Thursday for our brand new NFL shows.On Tuesdays, Will Gavin and US senior reporter Brian T. Smith will debate the biggest talking points from the NFL weekend, while on Thursdays Efe Obada joins the crew to talk to players past and present and break down what to look for across the league.