By Jared Weiss | The Athletic, 2026-06-10 10:30:50
纽约——呈现在维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 画板上的不仅仅是一尊雕像。它是一系列作品的具象化，也是通往这尊雕像的终身旅程。
在纽约，这位NBA海拔最高的球员几乎无处藏身。在曼哈顿街头川流不息的人海中，文班亚马的脑袋总是高高地探出浪潮。
因此，在总决赛第三场开打前的纽约休息日，他去格拉梅西公园（Gramercy Park）进行了一次短暂的旅行。这是曼哈顿下城一片宁静的净土，需要钥匙才能进入。你必须住在附近的房产里、入住格拉梅西公园酒店，或者隶属于当地的文化机构才能拿到钥匙。又或者，他只是直接跨过了大门？
在公园内，你不能拍照、骑自行车、遛狗、喂鸟，甚至不能运动。这是一个让人静心沉思的地方。想要捕捉这一刻，你需要纸和笔。
因此，正如第三场比赛前一段从远处偷拍的视频（违反了公园规定）所显示的那样，这位圣安东尼奥马刺队的球星与他的姐姐埃芙 (Éve) 以及其他人一起造访了公园，去描摹空间中央的那尊雕像。
他们当时正在观察19世纪著名的莎士比亚戏剧演员埃德温·布斯 (Edwin Booth) 扮演哈姆雷特的雕像，这是他在声誉巅峰时期的代表角色。布斯共同创立了附近名为“演员俱乐部”（The Players）的社交俱乐部，该俱乐部成立于1888年，专为当地艺术家服务。文班亚马，既是一名球员（Player），也是一名艺术家，在一个阳光明媚的纽约下午，发现自己正处于最合适的地方。
在总决赛开始前，X平台用户布鲁克斯·奥特拉克 (Brooks Otterlake) 曾开过一个玩笑，说文班亚马可能会屈服于纽约的诱惑，把时间浪费在公共图书馆的罗斯阅览室，或者新学院大学（The New School）关于参与式未来的会议上。在马刺大比分0-2落后尼克斯之后，这个玩笑显得既滑稽、荒谬，又百分之百地应验了。
但这绝非分心。这是他调整过程的一部分。
在第二场比赛最后时刻错失投篮，导致马刺带着0-2的落后局面回到纽约后，文班亚马需要减压。每个球员度过闲暇时间的方式都不同。达龙·福克斯 (De’Aaron Fox) 说他什么都不做。而文班亚马则寻求各种方式来刺激自己的大脑，因为他几乎把每一个时刻都与某种成长感联系在一起。
他曾尝试过陶艺、雕塑甚至绘画，但素描一直是他的艺术归宿。文班亚马称其为仅次于篮球的第二大热爱，如果他不是那么擅长防守，他就会去追求这项事业。在闲暇时间，他喜欢画中世纪的骑士——那些生活在过去、恪守荣誉感的英勇战士。而在这天，他观察着一个装扮成哈姆雷特的人——一位被复仇蒙蔽了双眼的丹麦王子。
文班亚马在马刺输掉第二场比赛、自己送出那次致命失误后曾表示，当时他的大脑一片混乱。在电光石火的瞬间，一切都变得模糊，而他思维的敏锐度刚好出现了一丝迟钝，足以让他犯下致命的错误。
因此，当他来到纽约时，他需要重新磨砺自己的心智。这始于从混乱的比赛中退后一步，投入到一些简单而具体的事情中。
“真的在努力放松。季后赛就像是一个——我不知道该怎么说那个词——旋涡。你很难把头探出水面，”文班亚马在马刺赢下第三场比赛后说道。“有时候，我甚至不需要马上回看比赛。我需要一些休息时间，让我的大脑冷却下来，恢复。身体需要恢复，心智同样需要。”
他在布斯雕像的青铜面容中找到了平静，这提醒着他，世界一直在注视着他，而且随着他的每一次出手，世界将永远注视着他。而布斯的弟弟约翰·威尔克斯 (John Wilkes) 则因另一种“出手”（枪击）而闻名。名声与传承，无论好坏，都将永远流传。
要把如此巨大的压力扛在一个22岁年轻人的肩膀上是不可思议的，哪怕你得用梯子才能把压力放上去。他一直在与自己的自我作斗争，既要释放它，又要驯服它。他是一个极致的团队型球员，因为他需要依靠队友才能做回自己。他通常扮演引力中心的角色，而不是轨道上的行星。他必须在强加自己的影响力与顺其自然之间找到平衡。在第二场失利中他过于被动，随后在第三场的胜利中找到了自己的位置。
随着总决赛的进行，文班亚马在场下并没有表现出太多的紧张。他的肩膀看起来很放松。画画对此有所帮助。
视频记录下他坐在公园长椅上的画面，他身体前倾，紧盯着自己的画板，完全沉浸在这一刻。对于一个必须在几分之几秒内做出动态决策的人来说，这种静止的尝试带来了一种释放感。这里只有他、笔、纸和时间。
当其他球员在通过冰浴、Normatec恢复靴等各种手段来帮助身体恢复时，文班亚马则花额外的时间来修复心灵。画画就是他大脑的“主动恢复”。
专注、平静且触及灵魂。当他和姐姐坐在一起描摹公园里的雕像时，他在捕捉场景与解读场景之间找到了平衡。这促使他思考自己是如何看待这个世界的，而当他向左看去，看到姐姐的解读时，又获得了新的视角。正如世界看待他的方式一样。每一个看待文班亚马的视角都带有一丝投射。也许他今年最大的成就，就是牢牢守住了自己一生都在培养的自我认知。
自幼起，文班亚马就一直在锻炼身体与心灵之间的桥梁，以最大化自己的潜力，从而支撑起他那令人惊叹的赛场表现。他的注册身高是7英尺4英寸（约2.24米），但实际身高更接近7英尺6英寸（约2.29米），而且他在场上的移动方式颠覆了我们对人类极限的认知。这是一种天赋，既是上天的恩赐，也是后天努力的成果。
这就是本体感觉（proprioception）发挥作用的地方。它是身体在空间中存在的第六感，是对自己身处何处以及状态如何的感觉。就像你闭上眼睛摸自己的鼻子，通常不需要思考。文班亚马在球场上的表现，在本体感觉的量表上简直达到了爆表的十亿级别。他大脑与身体之间的反馈回路必须以极快的速度运转，不仅要让他承受自己创造的重力加速度，还要让他以此为武器。
画画是他精心设计的方案的一部分，旨在调整好他状态的每一个角落。文班亚马总是倾向于在发扬优势之前，先根除自己的弱点。
“小时候，无论你是10岁、13岁还是16岁，你都在为未来而努力，”文班亚马说道。“你试图开发自己的技术范围。我想说，长话短说，要针对你的弱点进行训练，而不仅仅是你的强项。”
但此时此刻，文班亚马迎来了转变。在这一瞬间，他看待自己职业生涯的视角发生了变化。未来可能带来的成功不再遥不可及。这就是属于他的时刻。无论他看起来多么不可阻挡，NBA也不会轻易将王座让给一位王子。这里没有皇家法令。
“现在，我，我自己，正在为当下而努力，”文班亚马说道。“我甚至不在乎下个赛季。我们必须赢下第四场比赛。”
因此，当他坐在那里描摹哈姆雷特时，他看到了自己对一个悲剧人物的解读。如果他向左看去，看看姐姐的画作，他会看到一个略有不同的形象。这提醒着他，每个问题都有不同的解决方案，他有太多种方法可以去应对尼克斯制造的困境。
对同一事物的外部视角提醒着人们，解决问题的方法总是不止一种。他在第三场比赛中找到了这些方法，那是一幅处于最佳状态的马刺在行动的素描。穿梭的后卫、划出弧线的空接传球以及一道防守铁闸，而他正处于这一切的中心。
最终，一切正如他所画的那样。
由生成式 AI 翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：Wemby the Artist: How a trip to a New York park freed Victor Wembanyama's mind and game
Wemby the Artist: How a trip to a New York park freed Victor Wembanyama’s mind and game
NEW YORK — What appears on Victor Wembanyama’s sketch pad is more than just a statue. It’s a manifestation of a body of work. A lifetime journey to get to this statue.
There are not many places in New York for the NBA’s tallest player to hide. Amid the sea of bodies flowing through the streets of Manhattan, Victor Wembanyama’s head rises above the waves.
So, on his off day in New York before Game 3 of the NBA Finals, he took a little trip to Gramercy Park. It’s a peaceful enclave in Lower Manhattan, requiring a key to enter. You have to live in a neighboring property, stay at the Gramercy Park Hotel or belong to a local cultural institution to get a hold of one. Or maybe he just stepped over the gate?
You are not supposed to take photos inside the park, ride a bike, walk a dog, feed a bird or even play sports. It’s a place for peaceful reflection. To capture the moment, you need pen and paper.
So, as a voyeuristic video from afar (in violation of park policy) showed before Game 3, the San Antonio Spurs star visited the park with his sister, Éve, and others to sketch the statue in the middle of the space.
They were observing acclaimed 19th-century Shakespearean actor Edwin Booth dressed as Hamlet, his seminal role at the height of his acclaim. Booth co-founded the nearby social club known as The Players, founded in 1888 for local artists. Wembanyama, both a player and an artist, found himself in just the right place on a sunny New York afternoon.
There was a joke going around before the NBA Finals from X user Brooks Otterlake about how Wembanyama could succumb to the temptations of New York and spend his time distracted by the Rose Reading Room at the public library or a conference on participatory futures at The New School. After the Spurs went down 0-2 to the Knicks, the joke turned out to be hilarious, absurd and 100 percent correct.
But this was no distraction. This was a part of his process.
Coming off a missed shot at the end of Game 2 to find his Spurs in an 0-2 hole heading back to New York, Wembanyama needed to decompress. Every player spends their downtime differently. De’Aaron Fox said he just does nothing. Wembanyama seeks a plethora of ways to stimulate his mind because he ties nearly every moment to some sense of growth.
He’s tried his hand at pottery, sculpting and even painting, but drawing has been his artistic home. Wembanyama called it his second passion after basketball, the pursuit he’d chase if he weren’t so good at defense. He likes to draw medieval knights in his downtime, valiant warriors of the past who lived by a sense of honor. On this day, he observed a man dressed as Hamlet, a Danish prince whose mind was clouded by vengeance.
Wembanyama said after his infamous turnover at the end of the Spurs’ Game 2 loss that his mind was cloudy. The heat of the moment was a blur and the sharpness of his mind had dulled just enough for him to make a grave mistake.
So, when he got to New York, he needed to hone it again. That started with taking a step back from the chaos of the game and into something simple and tangible.
“Really tried to relax. The Playoffs, it’s like a — I don’t know how to say that word — a whirlwind. It’s hard to put your head out of the water,” Wembanyama said after the Spurs’ Game 3 win. “Sometimes, I don’t even got to watch the game back right away. I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover. Recover as much for the body as for the mind.”
He found peace in the bronze face of Booth’s statue, a reminder of how the world is always watching and always will be with every shot he takes. Booth’s brother, John Wilkes, is known for a different kind of shot. Legacies, good or bad, live on forever.
That is an incredible amount of pressure to hoist on a 22-year-old’s shoulders, even if you need a ladder to put it there. He has been in a battle with his ego, to both unleash it and tame it. He is the ultimate team player in that he relies upon his teammates to be himself. He typically functions as the center of gravity, not a planet in orbit. He’s had to find harmony between imposing himself and letting things come to him. He was too passive in the Game 2 loss, then he found his place in the Game 3 win.
As this NBA Finals has carried on, Wembanyama has not exhibited much tension away from the floor. His shoulders appear relaxed. The sketching helps.
As the video captured him perched on the park bench, he leaned closely into his sketchpad, engrossed in the moment. For someone who has to make decisions on the move in fractions of a second, there is something freeing about the stillness of this endeavor. It’s just him, the pen, the paper and time.
While players are doing everything from cold tubs to Normatec boots to help their bodies recover, Wembanyama spends extra time rehabbing the mind. Drawing is his brain’s active recovery.
Something focused, peaceful and touching the soul. When he sits with his sister and sketches the statue in the park, he balances capturing the scene and interpreting it. It asks him to consider how he sees the world, then gives him context when he looks to his left to see her interpretation as well. Just in how the world sees him. Every perspective on Wembanyama has a touch of projection. Perhaps his greatest feat this year has been to hold tight to the sense of self he’s been developing his whole life.
Since he was young, Wembanyama has trained the bridge between his body and mind to maximize his potential to survive the audacity of his game. He is listed at 7-foot-4 but actually stands closer to 7-foot-6, and moves across the floor in a way that defies our understanding of humanity. That’s a gift that’s earned as much as it is bestowed.
That’s where proprioception comes in. It’s the sixth sense of the body’s existence within space, the feeling of where you are and how you are. It’s how you touch your nose with your eyes closed, hopefully without a second thought. What Wembanyama does out there on the floor is at a billion on the proprioception scale. The feedback loop between his mind and body has to work at an exceptional rate to allow him not only to withstand the G forces he creates but to thrive on them.
Drawing is part of an elaborate program to get every corner of his existence right. Wembanyama has always looked to cauterize weaknesses before accentuating strengths.
“As a kid, whether you’re 10, 13, 16 years old, you’re working for the future,” Wembanyama said. “You’re trying to develop your range of skills. I would say, long story short, play on your weaknesses, not only your strengths.”
But this moment has brought a shift for Wembanyama. His view of his career comes through a different lens in this moment. The success the future can bring is no longer in the distance. This is his moment. No matter how inevitable he may seem, the NBA does not yield the throne to a prince. There is no royal decree.
“Right now, me, myself, I’m working for right now,” Wembanyama said. “I don’t even care about next season. We have to win Game 4.”
So, as he sat there, sketching Hamlet, he saw his perspective on a tragic figure. If he looked to his left to see his sister’s rendition, he would’ve seen a slightly different image. A reminder that every problem has different solutions, that there are so many ways he can try to handle the dilemmas the Knicks present.
External perspective on the same object provides a reminder that there are always different ways to solve a problem. He found them in Game 3, a sketch of the optimized Spurs in action. Swirling guards, arcing lobs and a defensive wall, with him all in the middle of it.
In the end, it went just like he drew it up.
By Jared Weiss, via The Athletic