“His Body’s Not Ready”: Ralph Sampson Warns Spurs Against Burning Out Victor Wembanyama

Arguably one of the most exciting players to join the NBA in the last decade, Victor Wembanyama is looking to stay healthy in his third season after missing the closing stages of the 2024–25 campaign due to a deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder. So far, he’s on track to start healthy, but there are some who are wary of the Frenchman’s overall physical condition.

Wembanyama took the league by storm upon his debut in 2023 and bagged the Rookie of the Year award quite comfortably. He averaged 21 points and 10 rebounds per game, and improved on those numbers in his sophomore year with 24 points and 11 rebounds until the injury sidelined him.

One man who is excited to see ‘The Alien’ back in action is NBA legend Ralph Sampson. The Hall of Famer spoke with the media earlier today and shared some kind words about the big man, including his thoughts on how much basketball has changed since his days on the hardwood. That said, he also advised the Spurs to make sure they don’t burn Wemby out.

“The game is evolved,” stated Sampson. “Wemby is gonna be good. They need to slow him down a little bit. His body is not ready for 82.”

The San Antonio Spurs should listen to Sampson. Wemby toughed out 71 games in his rookie year despite dealing with a slew of lower-body injuries, including ankle sprains and hip tightness. The worst thing that could happen is for San Antonio’s biggest ticket back to the show to spend a good amount of time on the bench.

Sampson knows a thing or two about this as well. The former No. 1 overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft came into the league with high expectations after winning College Player of the Year three years in a row. He, too, came out of the gates hot like Wemby did, but three knee surgeries later, he had to call it quits after 12 seasons.

It’s clear that Sampson, also 7’4″, is simply looking out for Wembanyama. He emphasized that he does see big things in the Frenchman’s future. “He’s got a great attitude. He’s in the greatest position,” added the four-time All-Star.

The Spurs have certainly beefed up their roster from a season ago. The team drafted Dylan Harper second overall, re-upped with De’Aaron Fox, and added some key pieces in the offseason. Hopefully, this takes some of the pressure off Wemby so he doesn’t have to go all out until San Antonio makes it to the postseason.

Sampson on playing in the current era

Sampson, a four-time All-Star, has kept an eye on the current era of basketball and insisted that he could have thrived with some minor additions to his game. For starters, he said he would have liked to shoot the three-ball more, and that his numbers could easily have averaged 30 points and 20 rebounds throughout his career.

“I could have played in this era for sure and I would probably dominate the game more than I dominated the game in the past. 30 and 20,” Sampson said in an interview.

“I could post-up, I could dribble, and I could shoot outside. We didn’t shoot many 3s when I played, but I’m sure my mindset would’ve been really tough to play and would’ve been at an elite level of the game,” the former Houston Rockets man added.

It’s nice to see Sampson, now in his 60s, avoid badmouthing the younger generation and instead offer sound advice. Wemby should listen. If he wants to cement his legacy the way he’s expected to, he’ll have to remain healthy.