Report: Wemby’s agent contacted Rob Pelinka to talk about Kobe

The San Antonio Spurs have a generational talent in Victor Wembanyama, who has proven to be a unique figure both on and off the court.

Wembanyama’s agent Bouna Ndiaye is aware that his client is different, so last April, he took it upon himself to reach out to Los Angeles Lakers executive Rob Pelinka to schedule a lunch, according to ESPN. The reason: Ndiaye wanted to talk to Pelinka about Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

“The way they think is different,” Ndiaye told ESPN. “The way they play, the way they stretch themselves. Just their curiosity. How they study and watch things. They’re both very creative on how to solve a problem.”

The “problem” that Wembanyama was trying to solve last spring was that he wanted to find a way to be more physical on the basketball court without bulking up.

“Basically he wanted to have a physical transformation so he can run forever and use his physical tools to get closer to the basket,” Ndiaye said. “And then he wanted to be challenged.”

As Ndiaye explained the situation to Pelinka, the Lakers executive told him that Bryant went on a number of abstract missions during his NBA career (like traveling to Guadalupe to study sharks) in order to gain an edge.

“I wanted to understand how Kobe did things,” Ndiaye said. “So that we could learn from him. Victor is not like anybody else. We have to be creative to build programs that are unique to him.”

Last year, Wembanyama made headlines when he took a 10-day retreat to the Shaolin Temple in China to train with monks.

It was the type of unconventional approach that Bryant might’ve taken to solve a problem, and while it’s tough to attribute Wembanyama’s success in the NBA right now to one thing in particular, he seemingly pushed the right buttons to get ready for this season.

Now, he has the Spurs three wins away from the NBA Finals after they stole Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals from the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road. Wembanyama had a huge performance in Game 1, finishing with 41 points and 24 rebounds in a game that went to double overtime.

The 22-year-old is just getting started in the NBA but has already shown that he’s the type of player who comes around maybe only once in a lifetime. He is chasing his first NBA title this season, but regardless of how the season wraps up for San Antonio, it’s clear that Wembanyama’s pursuit of greatness isn’t stopping anytime soon.

When the offseason rolls around, fans may want to keep an eye on the rising phenom to see how he spends his time in preparation for what comes next.