San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama staying at Shaolin temple in China for a few days
Victor Wembanyama is in China, and it's not all about vacation.
The San Antonio Spurs star is in the midst of what's expected to be a 10-day stay at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China. The temple is a place that welcomes visitors who wish to study Chan meditation, Shaolin Kung Fu, traditional Chinese medicine and more.
The NBA China office confirmed that Wembanyama is at the temple, and some Chinese media also confirmed his presence there with the temple itself. 'Concentrate on training!' read part of a social media post on the NBA's Weibo account, which also revealed the plans for a 10-day stay.
Then again, the secret was getting out through other social media means anyway.
Spurs Fam，Wemby is out for his morning run! @spurs #WembyDaily #update pic.twitter.com/UMkq1AB0Bx
Some photos of Wembanyama with a shaved head - it wasn't shaved when he arrived in China - and wearing a robe similar to the other monks began widely circulating this week. One of the photos showed the 7-foot-4 center sitting on a Chinese style chair in front of multiple Buddha sculptures.
Perhaps the 'tallest monk' in history, both ancient and modern.
During a private visit to China, San Antonio Spurs basketball player Victor Wembanyama had his head shaved at the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, donned monastic robes, and shared a vegetarian meal, preparing for… pic.twitter.com/AFn6BYm3dG
There evidently was some sightseeing going on earlier in the trip as well.
.@wemby exploring China! pic.twitter.com/8YKmZkgR13
'Victor Wembanyama, live from China, on the Great Wall itself, having an amazing time. It's crazy,' he said on a video posted to Instagram by the Spurs' account and others.
Wembanyama is expected back in the U.S. in the coming weeks and likely will be with the Spurs' delegation that goes to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas next month. The Spurs, like many teams, often have many players on their NBA roster with the summer league team for various events.
The 21-year-old Frenchman led the NBA in blocked shots during the regular season, despite his season ending in February - just after his first All-Star Game appearance - because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The Spurs are hopeful that he will be able to play when next season begins, and the French national team also has expressed hope that Wembanyama will be able to play for his country at this summer's European championships.
Wembanyama was the league's rookie of the year last season and was widely expected to be a front-runner in this season's defensive player of the year race. He attempted 403 3-pointers and blocked 176 shots this season - no player in NBA history has ever finished a season with those numbers - and he was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.7 assists when the DVT was detected.
The only other player in NBA history to finish a season averaging all those numbers was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
28 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
It's impossible to have a bad time at this S.F. restaurant specializing in meat on a stick
Two years ago, Zibo became China's hottest tourist destination. In March 2023 alone, the city of 4.7 million doubled in size, welcoming 4.8 million visitors. When train tickets from Beijing to Zibo were released for the May Day holiday, they sold out in one minute. What was drawing these hoards of merrymakers to a mid-sized city in Shandong Province best known for petrochemicals? Barbecue, specifically skewered meats grilled over charcoal. The country, newly released from COVID restrictions, was in collective search of cheap amusement, conviviality and community. Gathering with friends and family around Zibo's open-air grills checked all the boxes. Is it possible to have a bad time while eating food on a stick? No one is having difficult conversations over corn dogs or paletas. It's an inherently playful food format, enhanced by company and almost certainly by beer. If you'd like to get in on the fun and a quick trip to Zibo is not part of your summer plans, you can get reasonably close at Northern China BBQ in San Francisco. There will be several key differences. Northern China BBQ is not a grill-it-yourself style restaurant, which, frankly, is fine with me since chef-owner ZhiChao He is far more adept than I am at manning the flames. While Zibo's style of barbecue involves coddling the grilled meats inside flour tortilla-like wraps, He's cuisine is representative of his home province of Jilin, situated just above North Korea, and where, some would argue, the barbecue is even better than in Zibo. All ordering at Northern China BBQ is done, either in English or Chinese, via QR code, a convention that is rarely my preference. Here, however, it's ideal. Your entire party can add to the ticket and send it through piecemeal; you'll know your request has been received when you hear an aggressive 'ding' chiming from the kitchen. It's smart to order your skewers over the course of a few rounds since they come out quickly, and you can add more as your hunger level demands. There are meat options aplenty, ranging from cubes of lamb ($5.98) and spicy pork spareribs ($6.99) to tender frog legs ($6.99) and tiny duck tongues ($8.99), stacked one on top of the other, 10 to a stick, and looking very much like, well, tongues. If you like duck liver, you should give them a try. Crispy chicken skin ($4) folds back over on itself in ribbons like old-timey Christmas hard candy and adheres stubbornly to the bamboo skewer. If you're sharing this one, prepare to crunch and pass. Sweet Taiwanese sausage ($6) is scored on the bias, a many-petaled meat flower. Skip the chicken. It's possible to turn an outing at Northern China BBQ into a carnivorous orgy, but many of my favorite — and notably economical — skewers are vegetarian. Cauliflower florets ($2.99) and string beans ($2.99), tidily lined up in a row, were wonderfully charred and well-spiced, and the discs of burnished potatoes ($2) give even the finest home fries a run for their money. Rectangles of nearly translucent tofu skins ($5.99 for 10) look like banners welcoming you to a theme park. The item listed as 'gluten' on the menu ($5.99 for 10 skewers) is seitan, served in rings that resemble Chinese coins — or, you might muse while marveling over their chewiness, peach gummies. The skewers, all forcefully seasoned with a variety of spices including cumin, chiles and garlic powder as well as a touch of sugar, are the main draw, but the non-skewer portion of the menu is ripe for exploration as well. I'd advise starting your meal — and showing off your dexterity with chopsticks — with an order of spicy, málà peanuts ($9.99). Roasted eggplant ($8.99), charred and served split open, ready to be scooped, is a garlicky, custardy marvel. Large-format options include an excellent beef dish ($35.99), served in an iron pot set over a burner and loaded with cabbage, cauliflower, black fungus and potatoes, all blanketed by fresh and dried chiles and sesame seeds. And there's a whole section of braised dishes served in round tinfoil takeout containers. The choice of vessel remains a mystery to me, but the duck blood ($18.99) is well worth ordering. The slabs of congealed blood resemble tofu in texture, and the fortifying spicy broth in which they're served begs to be spooned over a side of rice or simply slurped. He's wife, Ling Ye, oversees the two dining rooms — one with booths, the other with tables — and a variety of other family members will run your skewers from the kitchen or refresh your beverage. She's also behind much of the decor, which includes bold word art on the walls. One, in Chinese characters, reads, 'When the sun sets, it's time to drink.' (Northern China BBQ is open until 11:30 p.m. with the exception of Mondays, leaving plenty of time to tie one on, even during long summer days.) On the facing wall are more characters with their rough English translation underneath: 'In the same city, why haven't we seen each other for a long time?' On each of my visits, there was a poignancy to the question as I swapped skewers with friends and family members whom I hadn't seen in a month or two. Let this be your nudge to get on the group text. It's time to reconnect with your loved ones over chicken gizzards on a stick. Northern China BBQ 294 9th St., San Francisco. Noise level: Quiet to moderate Meal for two, without drinks: $50-90 What to order: Lamb, duck tongue and pork sparerib skewers ($6-9 each); potato, cauliflower and string bean skewers ($2-3); spicy peanuts ($10); iron pot beef ($36) Drinks: Tsingtao beer and a wide variety of bottled soft drinks, including snow pear juice, iced teas and soymilk Best practices: Come with a group and place your order in rounds rather than all at once. Try some offal — beef aorta will appeal to squid lovers, duck tongues to fans of duck liver mousse. And those bamboo cylinders on each table? They're for your spent skewers.
New York Times
43 minutes ago
- New York Times
This Week in Sports Trivia: June 12, 2025
Finally, mercifully, the Aaron Rodgers free agency saga has come to an end. The 41-year-old quarterback signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday, and by Tuesday, he was slinging passes around the field at minicamp. He also met with the media for the first time since deciding to wear the black and gold, explaining why it took him so long to make a decision, revealing that he had gotten married and sharing his goal of bringing a seventh championship to Steel City. Advertisement If you thought this move would strike fear in the hearts of the AFC North, however, you'd be wrong, at least when it came to one rival player, who offered a smirking, snarky response to the news. That bit of fun is included in this week's quiz, but we promise you won't be facing a slew of Aaron Rodgers questions. We'll also touch on the French Open, the NBA and NHL playoffs, one of the most epic home-run robberies we've ever seen and more across the sports world. Good luck, and if you have a moment, you should play our daily Connections: Sports Edition, too! (Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; top photos: Bruce Bennett, Joe Sargent, Clive Brunskill, William Purnell, Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
The Pacers are showing who they really are — and that they're for real
INDIANAPOLIS — Their superstar has a crooked jump shot and disappears too often, stirring nonsensical chatter on the debate shows about whether he's even a superstar in the first place. 'I couldn't care less' was Tyrese Haliburton's response late Wednesday night, fresh off another sterling playoff performance that will quiet his critics for at least another 48 hours. Advertisement Their biggest spark stands 6-foot-1 but plays like he's 5-10. Speaking of jump shots, T.J. McConnell owns one that's even uglier. The 10-year veteran has probably lasted nine years longer in the league than anyone ever thought he would. He also happens to embody everything the Indiana Pacers are about. 'The great White hope,' Haliburton calls him. Their O.G. has been fighting a cold for days, couldn't buy a bucket for stretches Wednesday night and probably won't be able to practice with the team Thursday. No matter. Myles Turner made no mention of it. There wasn't a chance the longest-tenured Pacer was going to miss the first NBA Finals game the franchise has hosted in a quarter-century. This team can be both electrifying and exasperating, an endless fastbreak that's been known to fall asleep on defense a little too often (see: a 140-110 loss to the Spurs in January). They're stubborn about their style, refusing to slow the speed and find the perfect shot and protect possessions at all costs. The rotation isn't going to shrink — this team goes 10 deep whether it's a five-day road trip in February or the championship round in June. They're going to wear you down, with their pace and their depth and their grit. They're going to share the ball and stretch your defense. 'That's one of the things that attracted me to this place,' Pascal Siakam said. 'And since I got here, that's who we've been.' They're going to cripple your spirit, no matter the odds, whether it's a seven-point deficit to the Bucks with 35 seconds left in Round 1, a seven-point deficit to the Cavs with 44 seconds left in Round 2, a 14-point deficit to the Knicks with 2:41 left in the Eastern Conference finals or a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Thunder in the NBA Finals. This is who the Pacers are. Advertisement And this is where the Pacers are, 12 days into June: two wins from the franchise's first NBA championship. If their stunning Game 1 comeback last week spoke to this team's late-game guile — a recurring theme amid this magical playoff run — Wednesday's 116-107 victory in Game 3 revealed what the Pacers look like at their best. Dogged. Determined. And dominant when it matters most. 'This is how we gotta do it,' coach Rick Carlisle offered after his team jumped to a 2-1 lead in the series. 'We gotta do it as a team. And we gotta make it as hard as possible on them.' Carlisle's team is now 14-0 when they score 110 points or more in the postseason. They're 14-0 when the shoot 46 percent or better from the field. They're 14-0 when they make 40 field goals or more. They have a formula. It works. 'Hard things are hard' is a phrase Carlisle likes to lean on with his players. Over the last two years, he convinced his team this was how they had to play: full throttle, no brakes. It was difficult and demanding and maddening at times. But it's also changed the trajectory of a franchise that's on the doorstep of a title. 'Things that make sense aren't a hard sell for our guys,' the coach added. 'It's a difficult system, and it just requires a lot of sacrifice. But when you execute it the right way, whether it's two years ago in some game that doesn't seem very meaningful in mid-January or Game 3 of the finals, these guys see where important things are important. 'Our guys have made the investment. It's like a Greek marriage. It's a lot work.' That was the Pacers Wednesday night. They absorbed the Thunder's early punch, then kept swinging for three full quarters. OKC never had enough to respond and never found an answer. McConnell (10 points, five assists, five steals) was too much of a menace. Turner (five blocks) was too resilient. Haliburton (one rebound shy of a triple-double) was too damn good. Advertisement There was more, as there always is with this team. Siakam's 21 points. Obi Toppin's juice off the bench. (Indiana's reserves outscored Oklahoma City's 49-18.) Andrew Nembhard's stingy defense. Aaron Nesmith's big 3 late in the fourth. And Bennedict Mathurin — who spent last year's playoff run sidelined with a labrum injury, counting the days until he could return to the court— erupting for a game-high 27 off the bench. All night long, the Pacers met the moment. And for a city and state that's craved a championship run like this for years — decades, even — this team's arrived at the perfect time. Mathurin, the lone top-1o pick by the Pacers on this roster, said he's never heard the Fieldhouse as loud as it was Wednesday. The fans are hungry. The team keeps delivering. 'The state of Indiana is about basketball, and that was the first time I really felt it,' Mathurin said. 'As much as this is a dream right now, I'm not trying to (soak) in the present. I'm trying to make sure the dream ends well.' Reggie Miller sat courtside, next to another Indiana icon, Oscar Robertson. Edgerrin James was on hand. So was Caitlin Clark. And same as he did in the Knicks series, Pat McAfee revved the crowd into a frenzy late in the contest — his trademark profanity included. At that moment, it felt like the arena was about to explode. It wasn't just loud on Wednesday night; it was RCA Dome-loud. Hoosiers old enough to remember those days know what I'm talking about. 'They were everything we hoped for,' Carlisle said, a few days after challenging Pacers fans to be as boisterous as the Thunder fans had been in Oklahoma City. 'Especially in the fourth quarter. They just went up a few decibels.' This isn't your typical championship contender, led by an all-world talent picked at the top of the draft or lured to town via free agency. The small-market knocks have dogged the Pacers for years. This team was built the old-fashioned way, then made the climb from perennial also-ran into powerhouse. Indiana was 25th in the league in payroll last season. This year, they're 22nd. Advertisement More than anyone else on the roster, Haliburton hears it. The critics. The doubts. The nonbelievers. He's become somewhat of a lightning rod of late, praised one minute for his late-game heroics, then criticized the next when he has an off night. It comes with the territory. He's the face of the franchise, one that's worked its way into the spotlight. 'The commentary is what it is at this point,' he said late Wednesday, putting a bow on the nonsense before reminding the room what's really at stake. 'It doesn't matter,' he added. 'We're two wins from an NBA championship.' (Photo of Tyrese Haliburton and Reggie Miller:)
