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

Victor Wembanyama is looking to stay healthy in the upcoming season, his third in the NBA, 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 feature in the opening game for the San Antonio Spurs against the Miami Heat on October 8. Or is he?

Well, there are some who are wary of the Frenchman’s overall physical condition. NBA legend Ralph Sampson, who is excited to see ‘The Alien’ back in action, is a bit concerned, too.

Wembanyama took the league by storm on his debut in 2023, bagging 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.

Sampson, while speaking to the media earlier on Saturday, advised the Spurs to make sure they don’t burn Wemby out. “Wemby is gonna be good. They need to slow him down a little bit. His body is not ready for 82,” he stated.

The 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 is to bring Wemby back only to see biggest ticket back to the show only to see him spend a good amount of time sidelined again.

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. Playing with the Houston Rockets, Sampson, 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 compared to last season. 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 also shared some thoughts on how much basketball has changed since his days on the hardwood. The game is evolved,” he said, before elaborating on it.

Sampson on playing in the current era

The four-time All-Star insisted that he could have thrived in the current era with some minor additions to his game. For starters, he would have liked to shoot the three-ball more. He also said he would easily have averaged 30 points and 20 rebounds in 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.

“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 power forward added.

It’s nice to see Sampson, now in his 60s, avoid badmouthing the younger generation and instead offer sound advice. Wemby should listen. After all, the only way the Spurs star could cement his legacy the way he’s expected to is by remaining healthy.