Cover "He's more like an alien," says NBA's LeBron James upon meeting Victor Wembanyama. Only aged 22, the 7'4" French sensation is already tipped to be the best to ever play the game. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
"He's more like an alien," says NBA's LeBron James upon meeting Victor Wembanyama. Only aged 22, the 7'4" French sensation is already tipped to be the best to ever play the game. (Photo by Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images)
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After a transformative summer at a Shaolin monastery, Victor Wembanyama is chasing more than just the NBA MVP. He is claiming Kobe Bryant’s spiritual legacy in Asia—positioning himself as the "Alien" anchor for the league’s US$14 billion global future
When LeBron James first laid eyes on Victor Wembanyama before his NBA debut, he reached for a word beyond the usual superlatives. Not a unicorn, he said. “Everybody’s been a unicorn over the last few years. But he’s more like an alien,” James told reporters. “No one has ever seen anyone as tall as he is, but as fluid and as graceful as he is on the floor.”
Wembanyama loved it. “I like it because it’s just something not from this world,” he said. Drafted by the San Antonio Spurs in 2023, he stood 7'4" and weighed a lanky 245 pounds; the frame matched the myth.
In only his third NBA season, Wembanyama – French by nationality, Congolese by heritage – is already winning league-wide accolades (he was recently named the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, the first unanimous selection in history), and he is a legitimate frontrunner for Most Valuable Player (MVP), reaching the sport’s summit faster than Jordan, LeBron, or Kobe Bryant ever did.
No doubt Wembanyama is set for an illustrious NBA career, and being a legend seems pre-destined. But in Asia, where the 'Mamba Mentality' is less a catchphrase and more a shared religion, Wembanyama is being auditioned for a role that carries even more weight: the spiritual successor to Kobe Bryant.
The Shaolin summer: Wembanyama’s radical off-season recovery in China
Above Inside the Shaolin monastery that helped build Victor Wembanyama
In the summer of 2025, Wembanyama’s second season was cut short by a shoulder injury that required surgery.
Rather than rehabilitating in a conventional gym, Wembanyama shaved his head, donned monk’s robes, and moved into the Shaolin Temple in Henan Province, China. Hundreds of fans gathered outside the temple walls, phones in hand, as he arrived in Zhengzhou. He stayed out of sight.
Inside, Wembanyama was waking at 4:30am for meditation and chanting, running through forests and daily kung fu sessions—all on a strict vegan diet of rice noodles and vegetables. For a player expected to gain mass to keep up with the physical nature of the NBA, the lean diet was a professional gamble: an exchange of raw bulk for mental fortitude. The monks focused on what Wembanyama craved after his injury: balance, body awareness, and resilience.
Kung fu. Every day. It was like a vegan temple, monastery… I was isolated
When he later appeared at Fanatics Fest in New York on a panel alongside LeBron James and Tom Brady, he delivered the line that went everywhere: “I’m pretty sure I’m Buddhist now.” He was joking, of course. But only just. Those close to him described a young man who came away genuinely transformed — physically restored, mentally recalibrated. The Shaolin summer was not a brand activation. It was a pilgrimage.
The Kobe Bryant legacy: Why Asia demands "Mamba Mentality" mastery
To understand why Wembanyama’s China connection matters, it helps to understand what Asia has historically asked of its NBA icons.
Michael Jordan was a force of nature who transcended language and geography, the so-called “Team of the Red Oxen” inspiring a generation of Chinese fans who saw in him something almost mythological.
Read more: The Steph Curry Effect: Why an NBA icon is closing in on a historic move to China's Anta
Above Kobe is almost a god, one prominent Chinese basketball analyst once said
But it was Kobe Bryant who truly became Asia’s player. Not because he was the biggest or most decorated, but because of who he was. His obsessive work ethic, his ruthlessness, his willingness to sacrifice everything for excellence — these were values that resonated deeply across the region. “Kobe is almost a god,” one prominent Chinese basketball analyst once said. In the Philippines, the reverence bordered on devotional. Fans in Asia speak of Kobe as one of their own in a way they never quite did about LeBron or anyone else.
The US$14 billion global engine
The rise of Victor Wembanyama and his expected impact in Asia isn't just a sports story; it is a business imperative. The NBA has long searched for a player to match the cultural ubiquity of Jordan or Kobe—a breakthrough that has eluded the league’s current maestros.
Above Victor Wembanyama off-duty, at the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City (Photo by Aurelien Meunier - PSG/PSG via Getty Images)
Victor Wembanyama off-duty, at the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD7 match between Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City (Photo by Aurelien Meunier - PSG/PSG via Getty Images)
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Wembanyama may be the cornerstone of the NBA — in the midst of an aggressive global takeover, targeting new European leagues and a US$14 billion revenue ceiling — can, and should, count on. A natural bridge to Europe (he’s French), with a deep appeal to the African market (through his Congolese heritage), he has already become a fixture of the eastern digital landscape. His formative offseason in China saw him go quietly viral on Weibo, and in a clip that has circulated widely, he has been seen singing in Mandarin — prompting an eruption of fan commentary in which the overwhelming sentiment was not mockery, but genuine affection.
Read more: Yes, they exist: meet the new era of Asian talent in the NBA
Inheriting the throne: Can Wembanyama become Asia's greatest basketball icon?
Above The "Alien" on court. At 7'4" and only in his third year in the league, Wembanyama is already one of the best players in the NBA. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Above Cultural crossover: Victor Wembanyama attends the Louis Vuitton Menswear Fall-Winter 2025/2026 show in Paris, France. (Photo by Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)
The "Alien" on court. At 7'4" and only in his third year in the league, Wembanyama is already one of the best players in the NBA. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
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Can Wembanyama reach the status of Kobe Bryant? Not yet. That kind of iconography requires continued excellence and the right cultural moments. Wembanyama is 22.
The path to immortality in Asia requires more than just high scores; it requires integration. If Kobe was the region’s deity, Stephon Marbury was its adopted son—a man who earned a statue in Beijing by staying, engaging, and truly seeing the fans. The Frenchman is operating from that same instinct.
Ultimately, Wembanyama does not need to replace Kobe. He only needs to remain. In these 2026 playoffs, the discipline of the Shaolin summer has met the pressure of the court. The results are historic. He has built a bridge to Asia with curiosity and a jump shot. Like Marbury, he showed up. Like Kobe, he stayed. For a billion fans and a multi-billion dollar industry, the search for that face could be over. The player is here. The game is his.
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Pete Laverick is a sports and lifestyle journalist for Tatler Hong Kong. A former professional rugby player, he brings an athlete’s perspective to his coverage of the city’s sports and fitness scene. A committed fitness enthusiast, Pete is always testing something new—from Hyrox to marathons and triathlons—writing with the first-hand insight of someone who has lived at the top level of sport. He also has a standing invitation from Los Angeles Lakers owner Jeannie Buss to watch the Lakers at the Crypto.com Arena if he makes it to California.
