Victor Wembanyama: “The lack of experience is a strength of us…because we could do impossible stuff because we don’t know it’s impossible.”
He also had a really good quote when asked about being patient and having to go through it before getting to the top:
“I agree to be patient but just to some extent. I think being impatient can be a virtue at times because all those greats they have been impatient. And if you’re impatient 10 times, maybe 9 times you’re just gonna be impatient. But maybe that one time is gonna make you do something that you were not supposed to do, make you play over your level, make you overachieve and I think that’s a difference maker between good and great”
The power of belief on this guy. When your opponent announces to the world it’s their life purpose to win the chip, what do you do with that
Announce that it’s your life purpose to win the chip, twice. Checkmate
Chetmate
Take my damn upvote lmao
I’ve seen it compared to the Key and Peele MMA skit and it’s not far off.
When you eat though plastic tube…
when you are paralyzed from neck down…
then your family will gather around the hospital bed, to see the new Derek.
He do know we just talking, right?
What do you think Shai / Brunson / Ant believe lol?
Respectively: “ooh that spot on the floor looks soft” / “BING BONG” / “the fuck’s a condom?”
I mean that’s hilarious icl but that’s what they’re thinking not believing lol
Simple.
You try to be the
You’re supposed to as a NBA Player. That’s the entire point of making it to the NBA
You lose basketball games. Which most of the league seems to have done.
Can you link or send me the video this is from? I can’t find it
https://youtu.be/vIitWGxS4Es?t=101
Knicks in 6
This dude is literally living the life of an anime MC lol
It’s like when you play against someone new at a game, and then they cook because they’re doing shit any normal player wouldn’t do so you can’t predict it
Poker
Too true for poker. The newbie on your left can really screw up your play when he raises willy-nilly and pays no mind to the dealer button. Beginner’s luck is mainly because of their unpredictability.
That’s how that old man won a tournament
I doubled my money when I played poker for the first time doing exactly that
Everyone who says this about poker is terrible at poker
When you give them way too much credit for their hand strength
Poop knife.
I rarely play video games, so if one of my friends ropes me into some multiplayer thing where we’re playing against each other, this is usually what happens. Initially at least, then at some point the fact that I actually have no idea what I’m doing inevitably hamstrings me lol.
Ball
Chess
This is how smart guy beat the computer
Not at all lol
Honestly kind of like that in pickup basketball too lol.
The best defenders I know are dudes who never played ball cause they never fall for fakes or hesis lmao.
The Kevon Looney strategy of being too slow to react to your shenanigans so he’s always in position
anyone who has played a multiplayer FPS knows it can be harder to kill the clueless terrible players wandering about because their movement is unpredictable.
Also in battle royales, these are the people who get you taken out because you chase them down when they get hit and run off with no sense of map direction.
Button mashing noobs in fighting games lol
At lower levels that’s a big thing in fencing. Really hard to compete against a beginner because they don’t know what they’re supposed to do and they catch you by surprise. Like you actually get worse going from beginner to intermediate because now you’re doing things correctly and, thus, predictably but you’re not good at them yet
A million percent. In boxing I have a hard time against total beginners initially because they’re contorting their bodies, throwing punches in angles nobody fucking throws lmao
I know what you’re talking about but that’s not happening at all with the Spurs. It’s not like we’re playing some weird strategies that good NBA teams wouldn’t consider.
Having a 7’5 center shooting from half court is definitely something the league hadn’t considered lol
I mean, everyone has considered it lol they just didn’t think it would be possible
Reminds me of the time my 4 year old nephew beat all our asses in rock paper scissors.
Played with him 5 times race to 5 points, and he put BTA every single time.
Reminds me of in Counter Strike as a high rank player, when you play a low rank player they do the most unpredictable plays ever that it throws you off and somehow works sometimes.
It’s why Orson Welles was so good on Citizen Kane.
As a first-time film director he didn’t know what he couldn’t do. Why not have actual ceilings on a film set?
Yeah honestly, that’s an aspect that’s always intrigued me about NBA stars who didn’t begin playing basketball until they were in their mid-teens or later.
If you take someone like Hakeem Olajuwon, for instance, who I don’t think began playing basketball until he was 15 or so—I’ve always wondered if maybe that gave him at least one unique advantage in that he came to the game with a blank slate and did what made sense to him, perhaps more free of influence than so many others who’ve been obsessed with the game since they were six years old.
Of course, in Hakeem’s case, it helps to have won the genetic lottery, but the broad concept holds. I’m sure in most instances, the bulk of people fail when crossing over to a novel sport late in the game, but the unique perspective they could potentially bring to the table still fascinates me.
I agree but want to add that I think it’s more about building proper habits early on. Shouting Kobe and shooting as much as possible may not be the proper foundation. Nor is shouting Curry and shooting 3s only. Nor is shouting Shai and doing a Magicarp on the ground. Building proper skills in a proper way and sharpening athleticism maybe the answer.
I think that’s what made Hakeem “Hakeem”.
Practicing my fundamentals and shouting “Hakeem!”
And whispering “duncan”
Technical foul- laughing
Shai used struggle. It’s very effective.
There really is a lot to be said about the whole notion that if you don’t know that the “rules” are, you’re a whole lot less constrained. Ignorance can be strength there, in an odd way.
People who enter a sport late have obvious disadvantages but as you said, maybe have fewer shackles, fewer preconceived notions. That isn’t inherently a positive, there’s a whole lot to be said for proper structure. But you’ll have the occasional genius who doesn’t feel constrained there and when they arrive they do it with intensity.
Is that what OKC was doing? They played without rules most games. The other team had rules.
Really are downplaying the top tier athleticism genetics. You take someone like Hakeem at 18 years old vs some 5’11 average build 18 year old. Well gee, i wonder who will have a brighter future for basketball.
Trained musicians sometimes have trouble reconciling what they’ve been taught with the effort to be creative. You want the knowledge to support you but not box you in, so it’s worthwhile at times to sit down and reflect on which “rules” you might be following too strictly. I’d imagine something similar holds true across many disciplines, sports included. Imo, sometimes we rob kids of the opportunity to find out what they like to do by instructing them far too early on what they’re supposed to do.
Entering a sport late puts way less miles on the body as well.
I can’t speak for an AAU basketball season’s commitment, but a national level, girls, HS volleyball team can play 100 games in an 8-month club season. I’m not exaggerating here.
A HS or college season is about 35 games.
While you get all that extra learning and skill development, the amount of extra mileage is pure insanity.
Nash too. He was a soccer kid his whole life and credits that to his crazy court vision when he got into basketball as a teen.
To put that idea into the context of this conversation about Wemby: I’m reminded of an interview he did in his rookie season in which he finished the prompt “Victor Wembanyama is…” by saying “trying to become unique.”
As a Spurs fan, at the time I thought he might have to grow out of that a little bit because it at times clashed with what was needed to win games by leading him into clumsy, inefficient shot attempts and dribble drives. He still has some space to grow on offense, and he has at least temporarily retired his one legged runner 3pt shot, but a lot of that improvement was due to improved strength and balance.
But back to your theory about players coming late to basketball providing a sort of blank slate—Wembanyama’s goal of being unique, of playing with freedom and creativity, of resisting adopting a signature move to make himself less predictable, makes him a someone who was obsessively training for the NBA from a very young age but has forcibly, consciously made himself into the kind of player you’re describing.
In a way, and I’m just comparing theories of progressing in one’s field, it reminds me of Picasso choosing to rediscover, after decades of training and of producing art, how to paint like a child. He believed unlearning would provide him the freedom he needed to progress as an artist. Victor’s approach is similar.
In rewatches and with this knowledge, it is kind of amusing how in your face those ceilings shots are.
Haha yeah, those low-angle shots were also pretty innovative at the time too though since they had actual ceilings, and Orson and his godly cinematographer Gregg Toland wanted to show off the set design. Can’t blame em.
As an art director/set designer I salute them for taking that on - If I tried to put ceilings on a set I’d be laughed out of the production meeting
A 20 year old first time director just had a 100 million dollar opening weekend in the theaters. Out with the old, in with the new.
Oh but it wasn’t Kane Parsons who directed the Backrooms, even he tweeted that it’s The Older Gentleman /s
It’s what Venture Capitalists are thinking when they back 21 year old founders. They don’t know all of the rules of business and government etc. So they go try to break the system. Some of them are successful.
Yep, 90% of them are going to fail, but sometimes you get Facebook and everyone becomes billionaires.
everyone becomes billionaires
*very few
Ceilings. No ceilings. Feelings.
Cavs in 8.^analytically
Reminds me of the Mario Puzo story.
Puzo was an author, no experience screenwriting or directing, but he adapted The Godfather parts 1 & 2 while learning on the fly (with some help). He won an Oscar for the screenwriting on each.
Years later, deciding to take the time to properly learn the craft, he picks up a book to start studying screenwriting. The first piece of advice it gave was “study The Godfather”.
a ‘triumph of the uncluttered mind’
Nice to have players who reads books and have a bigger arsenal of words and ideas to create and share
I can’t tell if you’re being serious, but this comment is hilarious either way.
He’s like a big Sandersonhead if I recall
It’s nice to have a guy that isn’t stuck on the first few pages of the book.
LeBron will get right back at you just needs to digest his thoughts
Chet has some nice coffee table books to look at.
Journey Before Destination! Hearing Wemby talk these last few weeks you can tell those words mean a lot to him!
payton talbott reminds me alot of it in MMA, granted less “grand” in his speaking at times but way more raw and mentally/emotionally there than anyone in the sport currently. Dude’s vlogs are genuine artistic masterpieces. It’s equal parts corny and perfectly him with shit like poems he had on some merch that went something like “In time I will become old and frail, but for now I shall take over the earth”
Wemby doesnt like Arsenal btw.
Probably a Chelsea guy huh?
every quote he has is a bar wtf
he drop bars like his life depends on it
Wemby, Hakeem, AOC and my highschool crush always makes me fucking excited when hearing them.
Like two of the first ten comments are talking about Orson Welles and referencing “the ceiling on the set”.
These have to be bots? Similar punctuation and vocabulary. What a bizarre time to be alive.
Edit: It’s literally just AI slop underneath the top comment. Accounts posting complete nonsense back and forth. 😂
That’s a weird accusation as the post history of that account is in-line a person who is just interested in movies and basketball. Almost certainly not written by a bot.
And Citizen Kane is far from AI engagement bait lmao.
who is that ai going to engage bait with? Smug cinophiles?
I think bro just likes movies and ball tbh
No, I don’t think even a bot would choose to be a Wizarda fan tbh
it was a perfectly reasonable comparison, you’re a bit dim
They’re not bots. Literally just check their profiles.
Man it’s insane, I feel like half of Reddit is just bots posting vaguely related shit to the posts and baiting people into actual engagement
It gets difficult to not see it once you start to notice… Reddit used to be dope, now it’s like solidly mid. Better than most social media for now, I guess.
Ceilings on sets generally aren’t done except for corner pieces/long single wall pieces that can be moved about as needed (unless the storyboarding is strictly held to) - so it’s in reference to young people doing things because they don’t know/don’t care if they’re ‘taboo’
me when i fail to comprehend that people have multiple interests and like to pattern match
Ive never heard it before and they’re both using it like it’s something everyone knows.
You’ve never heard of Citizen Kane before? For real?
Right? Citizen Kane isn’t some obscure movie, it’s literally more or less universally regarded as one of the five best movies ever made lol. I have no idea if those are bots, but this rationale is really weird to me.
I know about citizen Kane but the ceiling on set is something ive never heard of
Generally the space above a set is filled with lighting gear et al, and often the walls will have a ‘warning track’ moulding to keep the cameraman from drifting too high less the camera sees the void of the soundstage beyond (happens and makes it into a film occasionally to keep a great take) - usually they build ceiling ‘pieces’ - corner pieces, etc., to pop up there if they really need a low angle but ‘Kane’ had full ceilings, never done before.
that’s squarely on you my boy Citizen Kane is on like every top 10 movies list ever
meanwhile Kerr and Warriors trading off their young guys to build the oldest roster in the league
Kerr stuck in 2015 and thinks Curry is still 25 years old
They know exactly what they’re doing. Milking every season of Steph Curry’s career. Once he’s done they’ll be in full rebuild mode.
Yup , competitively it’s over for the Warrior’s but as long as Curry is there still playing the team will always be commercial winners.
You’ve got someone to blame for ruining the chemistry
Who’s he blaming for the username?
Kerr’s done a 180 lately. Says they need to get younger and more athletic. Lol.
Victor “Elle “What, like it’s hard?” Woods” Wembanyama
he talking like an anime protagonist yeah its spurs in 6
Do the impossible, see the invisible…. Row row! Fight the power!
if Jaylen Brown said this people would make fun of him lol
Bro if Jayson Tatum said this it would have 20k comments calling him corny.
Because it seems Victor actually believes what says
Bc it is
Jaylen Brown would get this quote from his PR guy and yell “Anything is possible aghhh”.
Fr this is some /r/im14andthisisdeep nonsense I’m shook that people are eating this up lmao
What would be a better quote then lol
Don’t be a dork like that. It’s a corny ass quote, I can call that out without needing to provide a better quote c’mon dude.
I mean I just want an example of what you think isnt corny. I feel like u can argue anything is corny
what if Flagg says this
This mf can say anything and this sub will glaze the shit out of him, it’s both pathetic and hilarious.
Who knew context matters 😲
He always talks like he’s posting on LinkedIn. He doesn’t realize he’s Goliath in this story, not David.
Making stuff up to anger ourselves again are we?
Tuff
Yeah this is why I kinda love rookie stars who don’t know they’re “not supposed” to take those shots or make those passes. Wemby pulling stepback threes at 7’4 is the “ceiling on the set” of the NBA. Sometimes not knowing the unwritten rules is exactly what breaks the game open.
Bro is unbelievably likeable yet French
French bad, said the very likeable people who put trump into office, twice. Stop projecting
Bars
[removed]
/r/nonononoyes
Experience is the most overblown thing in sports
I mean you say this, but almost every couple seasons you have a relatively new group in the top 4 get dropped by a veteran squad.
Fr. Did this man skip Detroit’s entire run this year lmao
Cavs guys are mid 20’s lol. oldest guy is Harden and he was ass to close them out
Detroit were still way less experiecned though. Dm and Mobley are the core. They’ve had multiple series under their belt at this point. Harden doesnt know what its like to miss the playoffs even though you right he was ass lol.
yea but its not like Pistons got smacked by old heads
and if anything, Cavs shouldn’t have needed 7 games to beat them
Not all vets are all old heads lol. Dm and harden are definetly “vets” in the playoffs. And Mobley is getting up there. Especially compared to a new upcoming team like the pistons.
It’s not about age bruh
2022 Warriors vs Celtics felt like this.
Absolutely
Across all sports, it’s very common to see a young hotshot team win a championship … the season after they have a decent playoff run with some hype. At least making the Conference Finals or something. Just to get the first taste of playoff ball
I do not at all think experience is “overblown”
While true, it reared its head in the OKC series. Even Wemby was picking up dumb fouls in game 7
You have the 2 Seed Rockets last season losing to the Warriors because of the inexperience
May be overblown to a certain extent but it’s certainly a plus. Spurs have gone through very bad swings where they kind of BS around, make dumb silly mistakes causing them to fall apart. Yes, older players go through those stretches but having the experience to work your way through it helps. It’s why vets are really good to have around. It’s why this entire playoffs, Wemby goes to Biyombo to talk things out. Going through a tough time and someone helping you calm down and get you right is needed in nearly every setting.
It’s putting a ball through a hoop not doing surgery
Wemby: “I still haven’t gone Super Saiyan 3 yet”
Everyone was saying that the spurs can’t win because they don’t have playoff experience. They have passed every test so far. Probably already have more playoff experience than half the league already now
not the Knicks
I said the same shit to my boss at the Big Boy when the Iine cook showed up drunk for a Friday night. I started a grease fire, but we made it through service.
Like an extreme form of beginner’s luck
Gohan vs Frieza type shi when he popped off on him and Frieza didn’t expect it
Thats the most corporate speak sports phrase I have ever heard.
And sometimes you just fuck around and find out. That’s life.
Very good point, very real across all of life too :)
And honestly, i think this somewhat applies to the Knicks too. this is our first time here, we broke our latest ceiling, and we are going to keep going until we find out what the new one is.
very excited for this series, best of luck spurs, go knicks
I also thought I could do great stuff when first time editing video clips but they turned out completely shite
if you’re winning because you’re too inexperienced to know what’s not possible, yet you’re self-aware enough to know that, does that mean you actually know what’s not possible without knowing it and are now simultaneously too aware to continue to win while being incorrect about the whole thing to start with and thus likely to win some more, ultimately proving yourself both right and wrong?
So the POSSIMPIBLE?
LETS GOOOOOOOOOO
These Knicks have no experience in the Finals, to be fair. At least they have Harrison Barnes and Kornet for some guidance
False. Mikal bridges went to the finals with the Suns
Knick legend Dillon Jones about to be a back2back 2 time champion
Clarkson technically did although it was a combined 25 minutes. Not the Finals but Brunson, Hart, and Bridges have won National titles which offer their own difficulties and are not to be taken too lightly.
They have the second faster player to 2000 playoff points on their team next to Curry. That’s a little experience
Wtf are you talking about? They literally have a champ in the starting lineup lol.
He didn’t play in it though
Wemby does have a good bit of big game experience, e.g. the Olympics
What a perspective
He’s heating up!
Have we got wemby interview with Tayloor Rooks?
Got obi won wembanyama before GTA 6
I am sure the Thunder Floppers said the same thing when they fell down after every jumpshot and made dumb faces.
So beginners luck at a whole different level
IMPATIENCE IS A VIRTUE
👽
malika
Uhh…AND on the flip side could do incredible gaffs you have not experienced
Victor Twain
They say anything’s possible, you gotta dream like you never seen obstacles
It’s a make or miss league - Alex Caruso
wemby is so differnt because he dowsnt know whats imposible and thats why he can do crazy stuff
Victor “Kamina” Wembanyama
Wembanyama is going to shape shift into his real form lol
Like intentionally Elbow a defenseless Naz Reid in the throat?
Yes
‘defenseless’ LOL he actually swung at and hit Vic in the face a split second after the elbow - then stayed in the game and made his free throws, then said ‘pain is just weakness leaving the body’ - seems like y’all hanging on to it way more than Naz.
cry more
This is a horrid quote, but okay.
Top ten anime quotes
Dude really loves to hear himself talk.
It’s called an ‘interview’ in which one person asks another person things and the person responds
[deleted]
What do you expect him to say?
“Yeah, we’re inexperienced so we know we’ll lose this year”
Name checks out