By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2025-10-01 15:04:39
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
2025年9月29日，维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 在德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥的 Victory Capital Performance Center 参加圣安东尼奥马刺队的媒体日，拍摄宣传照片。文班亚马已获得球队医疗组的许可，可以出战即将到来的赛季。
马刺队后卫林迪·沃特斯三世 (Lindy Waters III) 很快就发现，圣安东尼奥人非常乐于谈论维克托·文班亚马的伟大之处。
“前几天我还在和我的理发师聊这事呢，”休赛期与球队签约的沃特斯说道，“即使在我打了这么多年篮球之后，我仍然从未见过像他这样的人。他是独一无二的。”
考虑到在他四年的联盟生涯中，沃特斯的队友包括现任联盟 MVP 谢伊·吉尔杰斯-亚历山大 (Shai Gilgeous-Alexander) 和未来的名人堂成员斯蒂芬·库里 (Stephen Curry)，这番赞誉的分量可谓不轻。
28岁的沃特斯在周三的训练后谈到21岁的文班亚马时说：“他也是个了不起的人。他来到这里，是我见过最努力的球员之一。”
并非只有沃特斯一人特别指出文班亚马的职业精神，以及这种精神是如何成为他真正领袖气质的组成部分之一的。
前锋朱利安·尚帕尼 (Julian Champagnie) 说：“维克（Vic）从一到这里就是个很不错的领袖。他只是在这方面做得越来越好。”
24岁的尚帕尼表示，文班亚马通过言行两方面为球队定下了基调。
“他很多时候是通过场上表现来领导球队的，打出正确的战术，完成得分，或者在防守端完成关键一防，”尚帕尼说。“他做的这些事既能带动我们前进，也能让我们承担起责任。如果我们没能获得最佳的出手机会，或者本可以打得更好，又或者我们在防守上犯了错，他会直接告诉我们，‘你必须做得更好。’我们接受他的指正，反之亦然，他也会接受我们的意见。”
文班亚马说：“我的目标是树立标杆。”
沃特斯在休赛期签约马刺后，与文班亚马相处的时间并不长，但这位征战联盟五年的职业球员已经对他7英尺4英寸的队友所展现的领导能力印象深刻。
“在他这个年纪，看到有人能站出来要求卓越、追求伟大，这令人大开眼界，”沃特斯说。“而他能做到这一点，前提是他必须以身作则，确保没有人能对他指手画脚。我看到他进行全场一对一训练，做额外的体能和力量训练。我每天都看到他在打磨自己需要提升的技术，所以他提出高要求就变得顺理成章，这也激励着我想要更努力地训练。”
领导力的话题是在最近一次训练后被提起的。
2025年9月29日，维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 在德克萨斯州圣安东尼奥的 Victory Capital Performance Center 参加圣安东尼奥马刺队的媒体日，拍摄宣传照片。文班亚马已获得球队医疗组的许可，可以出战即将到来的赛季。
随着未来的名人堂控卫克里斯·保罗 (Chris Paul) 在圣安东尼奥效力一个赛季后，以自由球员身份离开马刺并加盟洛杉矶快船，球队需要弥补失去尚帕尼所说的“一个重要的声音”所带来的损失。
尚帕尼表示，尽管文班亚马是队中独一无二的存在，但领导力的重任主要还是需要团队来分担。
“我们还有哈里森（巴恩斯），”他提到了这位备受尊敬、征战联盟14年的前锋哈里森·巴恩斯 (Harrison Barnes)。“他是一位经验丰富的老将，话很多，而且知识渊博、非常聪明。但我认为今年的重点是每个人都需要发声。我们每个人都有权发声。我们都在这里待了很长时间了。我们拥有足够的经验，知道场上正在发生什么，并且能够告诉队友，‘嘿，你在干什么？’反之亦然。”
“所以，这个责任落在每个人身上。没有人能像克里斯那样沟通。他是一位出色的、善于发声的领袖。他超级聪明。要填补他的空缺会很困难，但我认为如果我们每个人都参与进来，我们就能做到。”
尚帕尼为马穆克拉什维利加油
当桑德罗·马穆克拉什维利 (Sandro Mamukelashvili) 在七月离开马刺，与多伦多猛龙队签下一份为期两年、价值550万美元的合同后，尚帕尼失去了一位在身边的挚友。
虽然他很不舍“马穆”的离开，但尚帕尼为这位来自格鲁吉亚的球员能在猛龙队获得更多机会而感到激动不已。
2025年4月9日，在旧金山举行的一场NBA篮球比赛下半场，圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋朱利安·尚帕尼（30号）在金州勇士队后卫布兰丁·波杰姆斯基（右二）的防守下投篮。（美联社照片/Godofredo A. Vásquez）
“我的好兄弟桑德罗，我想他了，”尚帕尼说。“但你知道吗？我支持他。他会在多伦多打出名堂的。”
在马刺效力的两个多赛季里，马穆克拉什维利的上场时间有限，但他外向的个性和风趣的幽默感使他成为更衣室和球迷们的宠儿。他也有过一些闪光时刻，其中最耀眼的莫过于三月份在弗罗斯特银行中心以120-105战胜纽约尼克斯队的比赛中，他在短短19分钟内砍下34分，创造了联盟在20分钟以下出场时间内得分最多的纪录。
那一晚，马穆克拉什维利投篮14中13，其中三分球7投7中，弹无虚发。而这一切都发生在他的朋友、说唱歌手兼多种乐器演奏家弗拉沃·弗拉夫 (Flavor Flav) 的注视下。
“那很有趣，很酷，”尚帕尼谈到赛后见到弗拉夫时说。“那家伙很酷。我的意思是，他可是弗拉沃·弗拉夫啊。”
点击查看原文：Why Victor Wembanyama is the Spurs' undisputed leader
Why Victor Wembanyama is the Spurs’ undisputed leader
Victor Wembanyama poses for promotional photos during the San Antonio Spurs media day at the Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Texas on September 29, 2025. Wembanyama has been cleared by the team’s medical staff to play for the upcoming season.
Spurs guard Lindy Waters III learned quickly that San Antonians enjoy talking about the greatness of Victor Wembanyama.
“I was actually talking to my barber the other day about it,” said Waters, who signed with the team in the offseason. “Even after all the years I’ve played basketball, I’ve never seen anything like him before. He’s one of one.”
That’s lofty praise, considering that in his four years in the league, Waters’ teammates have included reigning league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and future Hall of Famer Stephen Curry.
“He’s an amazing person as well,” Waters, 28, said of Wembanyama, 21, after practice Wednesday. “He comes in and he’s one of the hardest workers I’ve ever seen.”
Waters isn’t alone in singling out Wembanyama’s work ethic and how it’s one of the ingredients that makes him a true leader.
“Vic’s been a pretty good leader since he got here,” forward Julian Champagnie said. “He’s just gotten better at it and better at it.”
Champagnie, 24, said Wembanyama sets a tone with both his words and deeds.
“He does it through his play a lot, making the right plays, getting the basket, getting the defensive stop,” Champagnie said. “Those are the things he does that pull us along and also hold us accountable. If we don’t get our best shot, or we can get something better, or we mess up on defense, he’ll be able to tell us, ‘You got to be better.’ And we take that, and it’s vice versa. He takes the same thing.”
Said Wembanyama, “My goal is to set standards.”
Waters hasn’t been around Wembanyama for long after signing with the Spurs in the offseason, but the fifth-year pro is already impressed with his 7-foot-4 teammate’s leadership skills.
“At his age, it’s eye-opening to see somebody come in and demand excellence and demand greatness,” Waters said. “And he can’t do that without putting himself on that pedestal and making sure nobody can come at him and say anything. I see him working full court, one-on-one drills and doing extra conditioning and a lot of extra weight lifting. I see him every single day working on what he needs to work on, so it’s easy for him to demand that and it makes me want to work harder.”
The subject of leadership came up after a recent practice.
Victor Wembanyama poses for promotional photos during the San Antonio Spurs media day at the Victory Capital Performance Center in San Antonio, Texas on September 29, 2025. Wembanyama has been cleared by the team’s medical staff to play for the upcoming season.
With future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul playing for the Los Angeles Clippers after leaving the Spurs in free agency following one season in San Antonio, the team needs to compensate for losing what Champagnie called “a big voice.”
Although Wembanyama stands out like nobody else, it will mainly be a group effort, Champagnie said.
“We still have Harrison (Barnes),” he said of the widely respected 14th-year forward. "He’s a veteran guy who talks a lot and is knowledgeable, smart. But I think the focus this year is everybody needs to talk. We’re all empowered to talk. We’ve all been here for a long bit of time. We have enough veterans, we have enough years of experience under us to know what’s going on on the floor and be able to tell our team, ‘Yo, what are you doing?’ And vice versa.
“So, it just falls on everybody. Nobody talks like Chris. He was a good, vocal leader. He’s super smart. It’s going to be hard to fill those shoes, but I think we can if we have everybody (doing it).”
Champagnie rooting for Mamukelashvili
Champagnie lost proximity to a valued, good friend when Sandro Mamukelashvili left the Spurs in July to sign a two-year deal worth $5.5 million with the Toronto Raptors.
While he hated to see “Mamu” go, Champagnie is thrilled to see the native of the Republic of Georgia get an opportunity to play more with the Raptors.
San Antonio Spurs forward Julian Champagnie (30) shoots while defended by Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski, second from right, during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
“My dog Sandro, I miss him,” Champagnie said. “But you know what? I’m rooting for him. He’s going to get it done in Toronto.”
The Spurs used Mamukelashvili sparingly during his two-plus seasons with the team, but his outgoing personality and playful sense of humor made him a favorite in the locker room and with fans. He also had a few shining moments, none bigger than scoring 34 points in just 19 minutes in a 120-105 win over the New York Knicks in March at the Frost Bank Center, a performance that set a league record for most points scored in under 20 minutes of floor time.
Mamukelashvili shot 13 of 14 from the field that night, including a perfect 7 for 7 from 3-point range. And it all came in front of his friend, Flavor Flav, the rapper and multi-instrumentalist.
“It was fun, it was cool,” Champagnie said of getting to meet Flav after the game. “The guy was cool. I mean, it’s Flavor Flav.”
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News