Victor Wembanyama credits Provence rugby training with lessons in team unity

Victor Wembanyama has credited a summer spell with French rugby club Provence with giving him a fresh appreciation of team unity, BBC Sport reported. The San Antonio Spurs player trained with the second-tier side during his NBA off-season and said the welcome he received had made him keen to return.

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The 22-year-old Frenchman was accompanied by Spurs team-mate Harrison Barnes. Footage from the visit shows Wembanyama practising passes, working against tackle pads and joining a line-out. He also took part in a team huddle before a pre-season friendly in August, with his 7ft 4in frame standing out among the rugby players around him.

Wembanyama said the sessions were demanding and helped him work on stability, movement and strength. But his strongest impression concerned the way Provence's players, coaches and supporters related to one another. He described being welcomed as though he belonged to the squad, despite coming from another sport, and said that experience meant more to him than the physical training.

The visit also brought him together with Teimana Harrison, the former England international now playing for Provence. The pair were filmed embracing in the dressing room. Harrison earned five England caps in 2016. Provence, whose former players include Wales internationals George North and Tomas Francis, have since opened their league campaign with five consecutive wins as they seek promotion to the Top 14.

The rugby sessions were one part of Wembanyama's summer activities in France. He also hosted Hoop Gambit, an event combining chess and basketball, in his hometown of Le Chesnay. His interest in training outside basketball has taken him further afield, too: in 2025, he spent two weeks with Shaolin monks in China working on physical and mental strength.

Wembanyama's off-season followed a Spurs run to the NBA championship series, which ended in a 4-1 defeat by the New York Knicks in June. In describing his time at Provence, he highlighted lessons about relationships as well as conditioning, saying that the camaraderie had been inspiring and that he wanted to repeat the experience.