Playing Chess, Shaolin, 50-point behemoth: The alternative life of Wenban!

In the late winter of December, New York was drizzling and the temperature was less than 10 degrees. An unusually high figure appeared on the street, wearing a thick coat and a hooded sweatshirt, walked into a corner of the park, sat down and played a few games with many fans who had been waiting for him for a long time, but he was not a mysterious chess player, but Victor Vinban Yama, the star player of the Spurs.

There was a game that week in the Spurs, and Wenbanyama scored 42 points and 18 rebounds, but the Spurs still lost to the home team Knicks 114-117. Two days later, Wenban Yama scored another 19 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 blocks, successfully helping the Spurs defeat the Nets 96-87.

But Vinban Yama's job in New York is not over yet. He asked fans on social media where the best place for chess in New York was then announced that he would appear in the southwest corner of Washington Square Park and asked who would like to join. Unfortunately, Wenban Yama in front of the chessboard was unable to play his ruling ability on the basketball court, and lost several games against the fans, but this was still a pleasant experience.

Wenban Yama is no stranger to New York. Before the 2023 draft, he took the subway to watch baseball games in New York, but now more and more people know him, so he can no longer take the subway. Despite this, he still wants to go out and see.

For Wenban Yama, the standard of what is normal and what is not normal may be different from normal people. It is normal to want to find someone to play chess in the park, but when you are more than two meters tall and are the most famous basketball player in the world, this requirement may not be normal.

However, for the unicorn essay class, everything is normal, such as learning some Chinese Kung Fu at Shaolin Temple in Henan.

In June, Wenban unexpectedly appeared in Shaolin Temple, shaved his hair without hesitation, ate vegetarian food with the monks, and meditated every night, for the longest time, even lasted for more than two hours. He also half-jokingly said that he was now a Buddhist.

Accompanied by the Spurs physical trainer, Wenban and other monks learned kung fu, but it was mainly a kind of self-exercise:

"That was a great experience. My goal there was to let my body experience something I was not used to doing, which could enhance movement and physical fitness. It might be very different from what I used to be used to."

For Wenban Yama, perhaps the real abnormality is that although he was less than 22 years old and was still curious about everything, he was as mature as a league veteran, thinking carefully about his every move, and learning English from a young age, because he knew that he would play in the NBA one day, and fluent English helped him to connect with American fans more easily, and his personality and on-field performance would eventually win him thousands of fans.

"As a foreign player, your influence will indeed be a little limited in the first year, but in the long run, there is no need to worry about it."

This cautious attitude also includes endorsement contracts. As James and Curry gradually approached the end of their careers, everyone was eager to find the next ace star who could represent the NBA, but this seemed to be unwilling to Vinban Yama who performed brilliantly one after another.

"Most of us want to create a beautiful image because those are things people will remember. But on the other hand, I think for me, the best way to have the best image and convey the right message I want to convey is to maintain sincerity. Don't force me to do things that cannot represent me, or things that I don't believe."

Relying on the agency team to filter out various endorsements and cooperation opportunities, these people spent several months visiting his relatives and friends before joining the NBA to get to know him better. After these people are screened, brands have the opportunity to meet Wenban Yama in person.

"My goal in business cooperation is to create an ecosystem that I agree with, and create a tradition that still exists after I left, which has nothing to do with money."

Borrowing the agent's statement: "We want him to maintain the image of the French because some international players become American after they come to the United States, but we also want him to embrace American culture, because he lives in the United States, and he may live here for his whole life."

This angle allows the literary class to wear the same way. The national luxury brands Louis Vuitton and Nike signed contracts with local San Antonio department store chains and video game NBA2K, and also cooperated with sports drink brand Barcode. Now Barcode is not only the official sports drinks of the Spurs, Nets and the Heat, but Vanban Yama even holds the second largest stake in the company; but on the other hand, this also means that his team will not hesitate to turn down cooperation opportunities, including a manufacturer that proposed that he spend an hour promoting his products during the All-Star Game, and the price was 1 million.

"We turn off cooperation opportunities because he will not use those products himself, such as instant food or soda, etc. He will always say: I don't promote things that I don't use."

"We don't pursue 100 partners, but a group of partners who can work with him for a long time."

Isa Mbo said.

Whether it is Wenban Yama or his agent team, he always talks about long-termism because he has scored personal data per game of 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.8 blocks, and this is only his second year in the NBA.

He scored 50 points against the Wizards, and the Spurs won 139-130 on the spot, which was the first time he scored 50 points in his NBA career, and was the fourth youngest 50-pointer in the league. Although he didn't look particularly excited after the game:

"My first impression is that I hope that our other performances and other games will cover this game in the end. I hope that in the future, this is just another game.. Simply put, it means that you must learn to untie the chains you tied to your body. ”

For the literary class, there may never be any normal or abnormal standards, only his own standards.

"For me, the best way to help is not to put me in a specific box. Coach Popovich knows this. He learned to understand me, and I learned to understand him. We know we will do something unprecedented and special. ”

Don’t look at him from a certain standard or perspective. This is like his figure and his football skills, and it also means describing the man Wenban Yama.