From NBA All-Star to Shaolin monk: Victor Wembanyama goes on a China retreat

HONG KONG — On the basketball court, NBA star Victor Wembanyama plays forward-center, but in China it seems he has temporarily taken up the position of Shaolin monk.

The towering 7-foot-3 player from France has been touring around China and appears to have taken a spiritual detour at Shaolin Temple, according to a picture widely shared on the Chinese social media platform Weibo.

With a shaved head and wearing a gray robe, Wembanyama can be seen sitting in front of statues of Buddha in a picture posted Monday by the NBA’s official Weibo page, which said the player had “reportedly” begun a 10-day retreat at the temple in central Henan province.

“Deepening his spiritual journey!” the post read.

Wembanyama is in “closed-door martial arts training,” an employee at the Songshan Shaolin Scenic Area, which includes the temple, told NBC News on Wednesday.

“No one can see him. He deliberately stays out of public view,” said the employee, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

Wembanyama’s team, the Texas-based San Antonio Spurs, posted a video on Instagram last week of Wembanyama exploring the Great Wall of China — while he still had his hair.

“@wemby exploring China!” the post said.

One of the user comments underneath said: “looks like a regular sized bridge when Wemby on it.”

The 2024-25 NBA season ended early for Wembanyama, 21, due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, for which he underwent surgery in March, not long after his first appearance in the NBA All-Star Game. At the time, he was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

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The 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year and the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, Wembanyama entered the NBA as arguably the greatest basketball prospect since LeBron James in 2003.

Besides the Spurs posting his video, Wembanyama has kept his China trip rather low-key, not posting anything about it on his own social media accounts.

Retreats at Shaolin Temple have become increasingly popular in recent years with celebrities visiting China. Visits there usually combine meditation, kung fu martial arts and Zen Buddhist practices.

YouTuber and livestreamer IShowSpeed visited the same temple in March and NBA star Shaquille O’Neal also visited in 2009.