Victor Wembanyama, with a height of 2m24 and an arm span of 2m41, is considered the brightest talent in the NBA arena. Having only just turned 20, the young French star has averaged 19.8 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game in the 2023/24 season.

Meanwhile, Brandon Sanderson is a 48-year-old literary author who is extremely unfamiliar to Vietnamese fans. He comes from Nebraska, USA and is famous for his books on fantasy topics.

At first glance, the two don’t have anything in common. However, Brandon Sanderson’s books are the place Victor Wembanyama comes to whenever he needs mental relaxation.

“One of my hobbies is fiction books. It’s something that helps me escape the real world and calm down after days of training and competition,” Wembanyama shared with The Sporting News.

For Victor Wembanyama, he always reads books, even when traveling by plane, during training sessions, before going to bed and even during matches. Many people said they saw Victor Wembanyama carrying his favorite books every time there were NBA matches.

As a child, Victor Wembanyama grew up with fantasy works, one of which is the classic novels by writer JRR Tolkien such as “The Hobbit” or “The Lord of the Rings” series. About 15 months ago, Wembanyama accidentally learned about Brandon Sanderson’s books and since then, the young French star has always been attached to this author.

For Sanderson, he felt very happy when his books were noticed by an NBA player. “This makes me really surprised, and really happy. I grew up in an era where people who like sports and people who like books often don’t have anything in common. But this is very special,” Sanderson said.

(Getty Images)

For Victor Wembanyama, Sanderson’s books helped him a lot when playing in the NBA. Since LeBron James, no player has been scrutinized by the media and received so much expectation like Wembanyama. Accordingly, the young French star turned to Sanderson’s books to escape from reality, as well as give him more motivation to overcome the expectations, pressures and huge responsibilities in the NBA.

According to the latest share, the book that Victor Wembanyama is reading is called “Words of Radiance”. The young French star has read the climactic end of the book with more than 1,000 pages, and as is his habit, he did not finish the book in a hurry.

“I want to reserve this special thing for competition day,” Wembanyama shared.

After that, Victor Wembanyama brought home the first triple-double of his career , recording 16 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a victory over the Detroit Pistons.

“I like the world that Sanderson built. It’s truly a thoughtful and engaging setting,” Wembanyama added.

For Sanderson, he really felt excited about Wembanyama’s sharing. “When I have a favorite basketball star, I really appreciate it. I like the idea that people have many different interests, that’s part of life. You don’t have to be one. special people to do special things. Like whatever you like. That’s passion.”