NBA
Chet Holmgren winning a ring has reportedly motivated Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama
Zach Wolpin is an NBA and NFL expert who's been betting on the league for over three years now. Wolpin has been a fan of the NBA and has been watching for a decade and a half. He covers the latest news and stories surrounding the league daily. His passion in life is watching sports and being able to share that through his sports writing. He has written about the NBA and other sports leagues through various media outlets over the years like Sir Charles In Charge, G-Men HQ, and TAP into South Plainfield. Before he became an NBA News Writer, Wolpin attended Montclair State University where he graduated in 2021. He studied Sports Media and Writing while in school.
All posts by Zach WolpinUpdated3 hours ago on October 28, 2025
During his second professional season in 2024-25, Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama played in 46 games. In February 2025, Wembanyama was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis. He had a blood clot in his shoulder and was forced to miss the remainder of the year.
This offseason, Victor Wembanyama went to new heights to prepare for the 2025-26 season. The 21-year-old found himself training with Shaolin monks over the summer. Additionally, Wembanyama was able to learn from Hall of Famers Hakeem Olajuwon and Kevin Garnett. However, NBA insider Marc Spears claims Wembanyama had other motivating factors. Spears reported that Victor Wembanyama is fueled because Chet Holmgren won a championship before him.
Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren have been rivals long before their time in the NBA
Chet Holmgren winning a championship reportedly motivated Victor Wembanyama, per @MarcJSpears
“I was told by somebody inside that room that Wemby is motivated by Chet. Chet having one up on him on the championship.” 👀
(Via @ESPNNBA / h/t @ohnohedidnt24 ) pic.twitter.com/p9h9SLfFtk
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) October 27, 2025
While Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren were not drafted in the same class, they were both rookies in 2023-24. Chet Holmgren was the second overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft by the Thunder. Unfortunately, he suffered a Lisfranc fracture in his foot and was forced to miss the entire year. That made Holmgren a rookie in 2023-24, the same year Victor Wembanyama entered the league. During the 2023-24 season, Wembanayma won Rooikie of the Year. Chet Holmgren finished second in ROY voting.
Before they were both stars in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren played on the international circuit. They faced off at the FIBA U19 World Championship title game in 2021. Victor Wembanyama scored a game-high 22 points but fouled out in the fourth quarter. France lost 83-81 to the United States in a game where Chet Holmgren only recorded 10 points. Despite that, Homgren was named MVP of the tournament.
“I was told that Wemby is motivated by Chet having a championship.”
SUUUUUURRRREEEE 🤣 pic.twitter.com/rgomDTb4AU
— CLAN the SPURS fan (@ClanTheSpursFan) October 27, 2025
According to NBA insider Marc Spears, Victor Wembanyama is fueled by Chet Holmgren. During the 2025 playoffs, Holmgren won his first NBA championship at 23 years old. Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama has yet to play in a postseason game for San Antonio. Chet Holmgren having a ring before Victor Wembanyama is motivation for the all-star center.
To begin the 2025-26 season, Victor Wembanyama is off to a hot start for the Spurs. He’s averaging 31.0 points, 13.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 steals, and 4.8 blocks in their first four games. If he continues to have this type of production, Wembanyama could be poised to win league MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. However, Victor Wembanyama is still searching for the elusive first NBA championship.
