San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama went on vacation to Costa Rica and gave a glimpse of his recovery from deep vein thrombosis by playing soccer with some local kids. It was a sight to behold as he towered over his teammates and opponents because of his 7-foot-3 height.
Although this was not a serious game, Wembanyama took the opportunity to show off some good footwork.
This season, Wembanyama made his first All-Star team and was a strong candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year. However, his season ended early after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder in February and had surgery the following month.
The Spurs are once again missing out on the postseason, but the good news is Wembanyama is expected to return next season.
“I’m able to do hard work, hard lifting, and also basketball work,” Wembanyama gave an update last week. “It’s all very controlled and light. Sometimes, I feel like I would like to do more. It’s logical, a medical direction. We’re taking our time. I’m neither late nor early. It’s a process. There are definitely steps to reach that.”
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The NBA standout seemed like a natural on the pitch, which can be explained by the fact that he played soccer as a child. Wembanyama was primarily a goalkeeper but was versatile enough to play other positions.
In 2023, Wembanyama admitted his soccer team wasn’t always very good and experienced some long losing streaks — but also emphasized that all the losses were not his fault despite being the goalie.
Soccer is just one of many interests Wembanyama has outside of basketball. In December, he went viral for pulling up to Washington Square Park in New York to play chess on a rainy day.
