Wemby Says He 'Almost Broke My Neck' Trying to Learn How to Do Backflip With Monks
It turns out, being 7'4" is not conducive to doing backflips.
Even if you're all-world athlete Victor Wembanyama.
The San Antonio Spurs star told ESPN's Malika Andrews he wanted to learn how to do a backflip when he spent time with monks at a Shaolin temple during the offseason but was unable to complete the task (3:15 mark).
"Almost broke my neck a couple times trying," he added.
In June, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press reported Wembanyama stayed at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China, during the offseason. Reynolds described it as "a place that welcomes visitors who wish to study Chan meditation, Shaolin Kung Fu, traditional Chinese medicine and more."
While he was unable to complete a backflip, the Spurs big man told Andrews, "Some things I did over there overloaded certain muscles in my body that were not used to these kinds of efforts. I think it made me stronger. I think it made me more resilient."
It's impossible to argue with the results.
He turned in a brilliant 2025-26 season as the Defensive Player of the Year who averaged 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 34.9 percent from deep.
Wembanyama has remained dominant during the playoffs and led the Spurs to the Western Conference Finals, where they will face the reigning-champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Going up against OKC is a daunting task but still not as daunting as a backflip.
