Louis Vuitton releases a new episode of its [Extended] podcast series, this time featuring Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs player and House Ambassador. Recorded in July and now available as part of Season 2, the episode explores his early relationship with basketball, the impact of being the first French player drafted at number one, and his ambitions for both the NBA and the sport in France.
Host Loïc Prigent begins the conversation with Wembanyama’s first memories of training as a child, raised by athletic parents who treated sports as a constant part of daily life. He explains that he played football, handball, judo, and swimming before settling into basketball at age seven, eventually joining a professional system as a teenager. The episode tracks his rise to global attention after the 2023 NBA Draft, where the Spurs selected him first overall from a pool of more than one hundred candidates. He later became Rookie of the Year.
Wembanyama speaks about the emotional adjustment to NBA life: full arenas, constant travel, physical intensity, and the mental load of competing every two days. He calls basketball a “battle,” one that leaves him with bruises after every game, but says pressure never outweighs enjoyment. His first home win with the Spurs remains a defining moment, matched by the shock of seeing murals of his face painted around San Antonio before he had even arrived.
The conversation also moves into personal interests outside the court. Wembanyama talks about reading, drawing, pottery, and sculpture as ways to reset between games, describing the pleasure of seeing an object take form through small, repeated actions. He also shares his experience training at the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng, a trip he describes as cultural, athletic, and physically punishing due to the intensity of stretching and combat drills.
Fashion enters naturally into the discussion. Wembanyama says dressing himself was difficult for most of his life due to his height, and he only began to explore style once he entered the NBA. He describes Louis Vuitton shows as immersive, citing Pharrell Williams’ Spring–Summer 2026 runway outside the Centre Pompidou as a moment where he felt the link between sport, culture, and performance.
The episode closes with his long-term vision: win titles with the Spurs, bring greater visibility and infrastructure to French basketball, and influence how tall players train and develop. He hopes future generations rethink physical expectations for height, the same way players like Kevin Durant and Giannis Antetokounmpo once reshaped the game for him.
The full episode of Louis Vuitton [Extended] is now available on major streaming platforms including Spotify and Apple Podcasts.
