Victor Wembanyama rugby training has given the NBA superstar a fresh perspective on one of the biggest differences between basketball and rugby: the strength of the bond between teammates, coaches and supporters.
The San Antonio Spurs star spent part of his summer immersed in the world of professional rugby, joining French second-tier side Provence Rugby in Aix-en-Provence. What started as an unusual addition to his off-season conditioning became something much more meaningful for the 22-year-old Frenchman.
Wembanyama, who stands at 7ft 4in, did not simply watch the players train. He put on rugby boots, joined drills, worked on contact exercises and experienced the daily environment of a professional rugby squad alongside Spurs teammate Harrison Barnes.
Provence Rugby later released footage showing the extraordinary sight of Wembanyama taking part in tackle-pad drills, passing exercises and line-out work. He was also seen inside the team huddle, towering over almost everyone around him, before a pre-season friendly.
The club confirmed that the visit was built around physical preparation, contact work, training with the group and exchanges with the coaching staff. Wembanyama and Barnes also experienced the team’s match-day environment during the club’s preparation period.
But according to Wembanyama, the biggest lesson was not physical.
It was the sense of belonging.
“It was a great experience, seeing the team spirit they have over there,” Wembanyama said.
The French basketball star explained that he was particularly impressed by the relationship between the players, coaching staff and supporters.
“It was very inspiring to see the relationship between team-mates, coaches and fans,” he said.
That experience appears to have made a lasting impression on him.
Wembanyama added that the rugby sessions were demanding and useful for areas such as stability, movement patterns and strength. However, he said he was even more grateful for the welcome he received from the Provence players.
“I have never been welcomed anywhere like this. I wasn’t part of the team but they treated me like I was. I want to do it again.”
That may be the most revealing part of Wembanyama’s rugby experiment.
Why Wembanyama chose rugby
Wembanyama has developed a reputation for looking beyond conventional basketball training when searching for ways to improve.
His approach to the off-season is rarely limited to shooting, weight training and basketball drills. In 2025, he famously spent time training with Shaolin monks in China, exploring physical and mental preparation away from the NBA environment.
His latest experiment was different.
Instead of focusing solely on individual development, rugby exposed him to a sport where communication, trust, physical contact and collective responsibility are central to almost every aspect of the game.
Provence Rugby’s own account of the visit described Wembanyama and Barnes as curious, open-minded and immediately integrated into the group. The club said the two NBA players wanted to discover and learn from another high-level sporting environment.
There was also plenty for Wembanyama to learn physically.
Rugby requires players to remain balanced while absorbing contact, changing direction and competing for position. For a basketball player of Wembanyama’s extraordinary height and frame, developing stability and movement efficiency can be particularly valuable.
The footage released by Provence showed just how seriously he approached the sessions.
Wembanyama was not treated like a celebrity visitor standing on the sidelines. He participated.
At one point, he was involved in a line-out, while other clips showed him working through tackle-pad exercises and passing drills. He also joined the team during its pre-match preparations.
The images immediately attracted attention because of the sheer difference in size between Wembanyama and many of the rugby players.
Yet the more important aspect of the visit was what happened away from the camera.
From the NBA Finals to a rugby field
Wembanyama’s unusual summer came after a demanding NBA season with San Antonio.
The Spurs reached the NBA Finals but were beaten 4-1 by the New York Knicks in June, bringing their championship campaign to an end.
Rather than taking a conventional approach to his recovery and preparation, Wembanyama continued searching for different ways to strengthen his body and sharpen his mind.
His summer work with Spurs teammates also reflected his growing focus on team development. NBA.com reported in August that several San Antonio players joined Wembanyama in France for off-season workouts, including Barnes, De’Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and others.
Barnes therefore became the perfect companion for the Provence Rugby experience.
The two Spurs players entered an environment completely different from the NBA, working alongside professionals who play a sport built around physical confrontation and collective execution.
Wembanyama’s connection with the rugby world also included former England international Teimana Harrison, who now plays for Provence. Footage showed the pair sharing a warm embrace in the dressing room.
For Wembanyama, those moments appear to have mattered just as much as the training itself.
Provence Rugby enjoying a strong start
There is another interesting connection between Wembanyama’s visit and Provence Rugby’s current season.
The French club competes in Pro D2, the country’s second tier, and entered the 2026-27 campaign with promotion ambitions.
Provence began the season strongly, winning its opening matches, including victories over Agen, Colomiers and Narbonne. The club’s own reports show that it remained unbeaten through the early part of the campaign.
Provence later joked that it would not claim Wembanyama was responsible for the perfect start, although the club suggested that the exchange of experiences may have contributed something to the group’s preparation.
Of course, there is no serious suggestion that an NBA superstar’s short visit transformed the team’s season.
But the timing has certainly made the story more enjoyable.
Wembanyama arrived looking to learn from rugby. Provence Rugby, meanwhile, gained the opportunity to spend time with one of basketball’s most exciting young stars.
It was a two-way exchange between athletes from different sporting cultures.
Wembanyama’s search for an edge continues
What makes the Provence experience particularly interesting is that it fits perfectly into Wembanyama’s broader approach to development.
At just 22, the Spurs superstar already has an extraordinary physical profile and elite basketball skills. Yet he continues to look for weaknesses to improve rather than assuming his natural gifts are enough.
That mentality could become one of the defining characteristics of his career.
Rugby offered him something basketball cannot completely replicate: constant physical contact, large-scale teamwork and an environment where every player depends heavily on the people around him.
Wembanyama’s comments suggest that the human side of the experience may ultimately prove more valuable than any individual exercise.
He was impressed by how quickly the Provence players accepted him despite being an outsider.
“I wasn’t part of the team but they treated me like I was,” he said.
For an NBA superstar accustomed to enormous attention wherever he goes, that kind of welcome clearly stood out.
And judging by his final comment, this probably will not be Wembanyama’s last encounter with rugby.
“I want to do it again.”
That could mean another trip to Provence in the future, or perhaps another experiment somewhere else. Either way, Wembanyama’s willingness to step outside basketball continues to make his off-season one of the most fascinating in professional sport.
The NBA season will ultimately judge whether all this unconventional preparation translates into better performances on the court. But the lesson Wembanyama took from Provence appears to go beyond basketball.
For him, elite sport is not only about individual talent.
It is also about trust, connection and making people around you better.
Stay tuned with ROKOCRICKET for more major sports stories, NBA updates and the latest news from the world of cricket and beyond. Subscribe and share your opinion on whether Wembanyama’s rugby experiment could help him become an even stronger NBA player.
