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San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is making waves both on the court and in the footwear industry. After reaching his first NBA Finals in June, the young star inked a signature sneaker deal with Nike in July, but his approach to footwear is anything but traditional.
Wembanyama, known for his holistic training methods, is a strong advocate for minimalist footwear and walking barefoot whenever possible. In a recent 60 Minutes interview, he explained his philosophy, starting from the ground up.
"So why do I train the way I train? Because big men have always had feet problems," Wembanyama said. "And I also find more and more that feet are responsible for so much more that goes on." He added that strengthening the feet takes time, noting, "I'm better right now than I was two years ago. Even better than I was five years ago. But the feet have very intricate muscles, much more than what we're taught about. And you know there's I try to walk barefoot as much as I can and wear minimalistic shoes."
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year didn't hold back when critiquing conventional shoes. "And what shoes do like shoes like yours, for example, they don't respect the natural shape of the foot," he said. "So they don't allow it to work the way it's supposed to. But what I mean by that is splaying and applying force down through the toes and through the toes and through the base of the big toe, especially. And what this is going to bring you if you got a good foot strength, which brings a good foot posture. Everything else can develop the right way knee, hip, and back, everything, and then you can strengthen everything in the right direction."
It's important to note that Wembanyama never mentioned Nike or complained about his Nike footwear. It sounds like he wants to go minimalist as much as possible off the court, while understanding the demands of basketball and the benefits of wearing modern performance footwear.
Key Analysis
Nike has not yet announced the launch of Wembanyama's first signature sneaker, but he is already a key player on the brand's NBA roster. The company has released multiple player-exclusive colorways for Wembanyama based on alien themes, though sales have been slow. Additionally, Wembanyama usually doesn't play in the Nike G.T. Cut 4, which makes marketing more challenging. All of this only adds to the excitement surrounding the future of Wembanyama's signature line. It will be interesting to see what Nike develops that will please both Wembanyama and consumers.
Stay locked into Sports Illustrated's Kicks On SI for all your footwear news from the NBA and beyond. Pat Benson covers the sneaker industry for Kicks On Sports Illustrated. As a leading voice in footwear journalism, he breaks news, spotlights important stories, and interviews the biggest names in sports. Previously, Pat has reported on the NBA and authored "Kobe Bryant's Sneaker History (1996-2020)." You can email him at [email protected]. Follow PatBensonJr.