Browsing: transformation

Itâ€s been nine and a half months since the trade that rocked the sports world was broken via a Shams Charania tweet that prompted the majority of the basketball news-breakerâ€s followers to assume heâ€d been hacked. Fresh off of a trip to the NBA finals, the young Slovenian superstar Luka DonÄić was shipped off in the middle of the night to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis, and the NBA as we know it was changed forever. The fallout from one of the most shocking trades in sports history is still evolving in real-time: disgraced Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison, who spearheaded the transaction, was let go by the team last week, in a move Mavericks fans have been loudly clamoring for since news broke that their homegrown franchise player was being abruptly cast to sea. But on the other side of the coin was a mixed blessing and a new beginning. But on the other side of the coin was a mixed blessing and a new beginning: DonÄić, who had imagined spending his entire career in Dallas like mentor Dirk Nowitzki, suddenly found himself recast as the face of the NBAâ€s most iconic franchise under the bright lights of Hollywood. And, as it turns out, the future is now.

While DonÄićâ€s breakup with the Mavericks was both very public and very messy (the team was not shy about vocalizing its reasoning for the move, and painting the 26-year-old in quite an unflattering light in the process), the silver linings showed themselves quickly. He might not have considered himself suited for the Los Angeles spotlight, but with his flair for the dramatic and a feel for the sportâ€s theater, playing for such a high-profile franchise proved an unexpectedly good fit. And it couldnâ€t have worked out better for the Lakers: the team had been staring down the barrel of an uncertain future, with the retirement of 40-year-old LeBron James looming, and Anthony Davis†injury history creating a cloud of doubt around his ability to be the No 1 option in the eventual aftermath. Enter stage right: a ticket to franchise salvation, equipped with the newfound motivation that can only be borne from being publicly and mercilessly dragged through the mud.

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Of course, Jamesâ€s retirement has been far less imminent than anyone anticipated; his unprecedented longevity and level of play continue to shatter records and defy basketball logic. So instead of a passing of the torch, the months after DonÄićâ€s midseason arrival looked more like a torch collaboration. But Jamesâ€s bout with sciatica this summer, which sidelined him for the first month of the season and caused him to miss the first opening night of his 23-year career, brought about a dress rehearsal of sorts for the post-LeBron Lakers era. The roster remains a bit clunky, but DonÄić is beginning to lean into his newfound leadership role – and those around him are convinced heâ€s the man for the job. And not only because his 34.4 points per game lead the NBA by a wide margin. The Lakers are 10–4, fourth in the Western Conference behind only Oklahoma City, Denver and Houston, and the prospect of life after LeBron suddenly looks, well, not so scary after all.

DonÄić has always been special, and the brightest minds in the NBA have recognized it from the start. When the Miami Heat visit Los Angeles in early November, I ask Erik Spoelstra what he believes sets DonÄić apart as a transcendent talent capable of carrying a franchise. “Just an incredible competitive spirit,†he tells me. “I remember the first time I saw him play – Iâ€ll never forget it. I went to watch Goran Dragić at EuroBasket, so I stopped by their training camp. Luka was 18, and everyone in the gym was stunned by how cerebral his game already was. He could make all the rotations, all the reads, just pick you apart. His fundamentals, his footwork, his skill level – all elite. But more than anything, even then, he could rise to the level of competition. Thatâ€s what all the great ones do: competition brings out something most players canâ€t reach.â€

“Quiet†was the word Lakers guard Marcus Smart used to describe DonÄićâ€s leadership style in the early days of the season, shortly after the former Defensive Player of the Year had logged his first few games with his new team. “He leads by example,†Smart said at the time. But something is starting to shift for DonÄić, whose career-long approach to leadership has largely been, as Smart suggests, to be brilliant without saying much.

Thereâ€s a newfound maturity and commitment in DonÄićâ€s approach this year, even if he still shows more youthful exuberance than almost anyone in the league. It became apparent as early as the summer, when rumblings spread that heâ€d undertaken a drastic overhaul of his diet – followed soon after by a striking Menâ€s Health feature revealing a noticeably leaner, more sculpted DonÄić. The transformation (and the PR push around it) was almost certainly fueled by the Mavericks†smear campaign in the wake of his exit, which sought to question everything from his work ethic to his relationship with alcohol.

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Off the court, DonÄić is soft-spoken and even-keeled, happiest laying low with his wife, his baby daughter and his video games. On the court heâ€s a demon: one of the leagueâ€s fiercest competitors, a player who seems to take genuine delight in tormenting opponents. For all his gifts, that almost manic competitiveness may be his defining trait. And seeing it up close makes something obvious: there was never a version of reality in which being cast off the way he was in February led to anything other than this, the moment he turned into the Terminator.

DonÄić acknowledges that his approach has shifted. Heâ€s been noticeably more vocal this season, and when asked whether thatâ€s intentional, he doesnâ€t hesitate. “Definitely [more vocal], just trying to help the guys,†he says. But he credits the change partly to improved chemistry, stressing that he still wants leadership to feel shared. “I think leadership shouldnâ€t be just one player – it should be more players, and I think we have that. Everyone talks a lot. It feels like everyone is on the same page.â€

Those around him have noticed the growth. Lakers head coach JJ Redick says heâ€s seen a real shift from last season: “I think heâ€s letting his teammates in right now,†he says. Austin Reaves – the Lakers guard who has developed an easy, teasing rapport with DonÄić in the months since his arrival – sees it too, and isnâ€t surprised it took some time. “Itâ€s human nature when things like last year happen. Nobody ever thought that was gonna happen … Iâ€m sure he was in a state of shock,†Reaves says. “Having to move, move his family – it was tough. But now I think heâ€s just getting comfortable, having a good time.â€

When James returns to make his season debut, which could happen as soon as Tuesday night against the Utah Jazz, the soft opening of the Lakers†Luka Era will come to a temporary close. But the forward momentum wonâ€t halt: the progress DonÄić has made with the keys to the franchise in hand are palpable, and likely here to stay. He knows the future is his, and he seems more comfortable with that fact than ever.

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Winning is a habit for Edwards.

As a captain, she led England to 50-over and T20 World Cup wins and Ashes triumphs in 2013-14. As a coach, her Southern Vipers dominated the women’s domestic scene in the UK, Southern Brave won The Hundred in 2023 and she won the Women’s Premier League in India with Mumbai Indians in its inaugural season.

What has become clear in her coaching style with England has been her insistence in role clarity, ensuring that individuals are fully aware of their responsibilities once they cross the boundary rope.

Under Lewis, the ‘inspire and entertain’ mantra did not suit everyone, and it became muddled – particularly with younger players who, purely through lack of experience, had not yet cracked 50-over cricket.

“Personnel-wise, the squad isn’t too different but the clarity of role that everybody has, and the skills that they’ve developed to perform that role, has really shifted,” Sciver-Brunt told BBC Sport, when asked about how England’s approach to ODIs had changed since the winter.

“I’ve been really impressed with everybody taking that accountability and responsibility and what they want to work on, and what they want to get out of themselves.”

It was clear that after such a tough tour, England needed that structure and guidance to get back on track, and they have gone back to basics.

Linsey Smith is a prime example of Edwards’ influence on the team, having worked together at the Vipers for several years.

Smith is England’s powerplay weapon, a role she fulfilled in county cricket, and she is effective without being overly flashy – she bowls very straight, rarely leaving the stumps and cannily drifts the ball into the right-hander with great effect.

Charlie Dean is another player who was under Edwards’ wing at Hampshire and the Vipers, and was appointed vice-captain before the World Cup.

“I know her [Edwards’] style and it feels like we’re really going into the nuances of the game now,” said Dean.

“We’re trying to bring out really gritty performances and the best out of each other. I think every coach comes with their own ideas and when you buy into it, that’s when a team really flies.”

Their batting focuses on building an innings, batting for time and taking the game as deep as possible, again moving away from Lewis’ aggression while highlighting Edwards’ focus on winning regardless of how it comes.

“England have been finding ways to win, and that is what is entertaining now,” World Cup winner Alex Hartley said on the BBC Test Match Special podcast.

“There have been some of those games where they have scraped over the line, but now it’s about them doing it when they are under pressure.”

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Anaya Bangar (extreme right) with parents on Diwali. Anaya Bangar on Tuesday shared a photo with her father Sanjay Bangar and her family after a long time on Diwali.Anaya shared the photo on Instagram and also penned a heartfelt note: “Light feels different this year — softer, steadier, closer to home.” The photo has gone viral and has already hit 3 lakh likes.Earlier this year, Anaya had revealed that her father had made it clear that she would not be allowed to play cricket in the future.

Indian cricket stars spread Diwali cheer: Kohli, Gill & Bumrahâ€s festive wishes

Click here to check the photo“He was just stating the fact that there’s no place for me in cricket. I had to take a stand for myself. I did get suicidal thoughts as it felt like the entire world was against me, and the decision I took (hormone therapy to become a woman) has now left me with no space in this system,” Anaya had told Lallantop.”Even basic opportunities and rights are no longer there for me. I still had space for myself from the family point of view. But it wasn’t there in society, cricket, or the external world.”Anaya had also revealed how she shared a “complex†relationship with her father.”My relationship with my father is complex, like many families navigating change. I hope that one day he will find a way to stand beside me,” she was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.Earlier this year, Anaya had also posted on Instagram, where the 24-year-old shared a detailed scientific report to support her case to play cricket.”It began as me wanting to play again, but the more I spoke up, the more I realised that my journey is tied to so many who feel invisible in Indian sport,” Anaya wrote on Instagram.

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“My personal dream and public advocacy have become the same thing now,” she added. “Walking back onto the field, this time as Anaya, wonâ€t just be about playing but reclaiming the right to belong, compete, and dream with dignity.””Well-known cricketers from both the menâ€s and womenâ€s sides have messaged me. Some just sent a heart. Some said, ‘We see you.†It made me emotional. Because in a sport where silence is common, even a whisper of support can feel like thunder,” added Anaya.

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  Michael C. WrightOct 8, 2025, 07:00 AM ET

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  • Joined ESPN in 2010
  • Previously covered Bears for ESPN.com
  • Played college football at West Texas A&M

INSIDE A QUIETgym located on a sprawling 400-acre ranch in Katy, Texas, some 30 miles due east of Houston, Victor Wembanyama backed down new San Antonio Spurs assistant coach Rashard Lewis near the basket.

The 21-year-old pupil was there to attend one of the most secretive, legendary big man camps in basketball — one whose teacher has quietly mentored Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Dwight Howard and many others. Even Kobe Bryant spent time on this most hallowed of grounds.

Other Spurs assistants, Matt Nielsen and Sean Sweeney, looked toward the court, where the future of NBA big men was learning from one of the icons of its past.

The court, painted in Houston Rockets red, was emblazoned with a No. 34 at the center of it. Above it was his famed nickname in cursive.

Dream.

Wembanyama met the 62-year-old Hakeem Olajuwon in April at the NCAA men’s college national championship game at the Alamodome in San Antonio. They sat courtside.

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“He said he would love to work out with me,” Olajuwon, whose Hall of Fame NBA career included two championships, 12 All-Star appearances and an MVP award, told ESPN. “I said, ‘You’ve got everything already.’ He said, ‘No, no, no. I’ve watched you play, and I’d like to know now just the secrets behind all the moves. I would love that.'”

And so began a relationship that would cap a summer of transformation for Wembanyama.

Six months earlier, he had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, a condition both career- and life-threatening.

The ordeal, one source close to him says, deeply affected the 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year, so much so that it inspired “a journey to push himself to be great physically and mentally with things that were outside the box.”

He played soccer in Costa Rica and Tokyo. He famously spent 10 days at a spiritual retreat at a Shaolin temple in Zhenzhou, China, where he studied and trained with monks.

He hosted a chess and basketball tournament at his court in Le Chesnay, France. He visited NASA’s Johnson Space Center, where he learned about astronaut Peggy Whitson, who owns the American record for spending 675 days in space.

He spent time with another iconic big man, Kevin Garnett, seeking to tighten his grip on the mental side of the game.

“The traumatic experience … is very much linked to all the stuff I’ve done in the summer,” Wembanyama said. “Spending so much time in hospitals, around doctors and hearing more bad news that I wish I hadn’t heard, of course, it is traumatic. But in the long run I think it’s going to be very beneficial because even though I don’t wish it on [anybody], it makes you understand lessons that nothing else could have made you understand.”

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson says he’s never witnessed such perspective, or curiosity, from such a young player.

“He is so intentional in the variety of ways that he tries to improve as a player and person,” Johnson said. “It’s constantly trying to push himself out of his comfort zone and learn new things. Sometimes, the levels he goes [to] and the things he thinks about that may be a small nuance, but he feels like if I can add this to my world being, mindset, [or] whatever it may be, it can help.”

Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama spent 10 days at a Shaolin temple in Zhenzhou, China, where he studied and trained with monks. He wanted to put his mind and body under unusual stress, increase his range of motion and add strength, flexibility and balance. wemby/Instagram

BEFORE CAPTIVATING SOCIAL media in July with a failed bicycle kick in Costa Rica, in addition to smashing a looping free kick on the pitch in Tokyo, Wembanyama traveled to a historic Shaolin temple, one that was founded in the 5th century.

When Wembanyama informed Spurs brass of his intentions, everyone was on board, one team source told ESPN, remaining true to the club’s commitment to encourage the growth of its franchise player.

“The creativity is something that’s been there from Day 1,” Johnson said. “We want this team to be in the reflection of Victor. He’s our best player. He’s our guy.”

For 10 days, Wembanyama woke up at 4:30 a.m., ate vegetarian breakfast bowls of zucchini and rice noodles and immersed himself in Chan meditation, a school of thought that emphasizes direct experience over intellectual learning. He studied Shaolin Kung Fu. He shaved his head.

He wanted to go, he said, to put his mind and body under unusual stress, to increase his range of motion, to add strength, flexibility and balance through different exercises.

“It was an incredible experience,” he said. “Probably as far [off] a physical activity as I’m used to doing. It really paid off in terms of training and as a life experience as a curious person.”

People who have seen Wembanyama on the floor this summer say he’s stronger, more under control playing through physicality and increasingly comfortable with his unprecedented skill set.

“We know the type of talent he is,” teammate De’Aaron Fox said. “I think people are learning the type of person that he is, as well. … Him just looking at life differently, being able to travel and kind of come out with a different view on not only the sport, but on life, that’s just a testament to the person that Victor is. I don’t think it surprises anybody in this building.”

During his stay, Wembanyama woke up at 4:30 a.m. every day. He practiced Chan meditation, a school of thought that emphasizes direct experience over intellectual learning, as well as Shaolin Kung Fu. wemby/Instagram

IT WAS EARLY September, and the 100-degree temperatures were finally subsiding in Texas. The start of training camp approached, heightening the excitement among a San Antonio fan base that hasn’t seen its team reach the postseason in six seasons.

Wembanyama and his teammates attended a Paris Saint-Germain game in January when the Spurs played the Indiana Pacers in France. While there, Johnson caught his first glimpse of the PSG ultras, a rowdy group of passionate fans that create a formidable atmosphere in the 47,929-capacity Parc de Princes stadium through monstrous banners, booming chants and even the use of flares and pyrotechnics.

Wembanyama revealed to Johnson then that he wanted to create a similar setting at Frost Bank Center.

So, on a cool Sept. 14 morning, fans traipsed into the Freeman Expo Hall adjacent to Frost Bank, loud and proud, screaming “Go Spurs Go!” Most sported Spurs gear, wigs, fiesta-themed clothing and face paint. Some even dressed as pirates to register for the first fan supporter tryouts with Wembanyama serving as the lone judge.

Wembanyama leaned forward on a Spurs-themed chair resembling a replica of the ice block throne that George “Iceman” Gervin made famous in his iconic Nike poster back in 1978. Behind a curtain sectioned off just feet away from Wembanyama, nervous fans — many meeting for the first time — rehearsed the impromptu chants they would scream together minutes later.

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“Wem-V-P!” was the prevailing chant, drawing smiles from Wembanyama, who had pledged to cover the cost of tickets all season for the five most memorable fans. Intently, he scribbled notes in a black Spurs notepad on every auditioner and listened to their stories. He asked their names, level of dedication to the cause and even some personal questions before posing for pics as each exited. Some fans beat on a Spurs drum stationed in the back of the room once their turn to audition came.

Wembanyama hit the drum, too, and led a chant.

San Antonio general manager Brian Wright stood in the background near a curtain close to the exit next to CEO RC Buford taking in the scene. Arms folded, they watched carefully, almost in awe of how Wembanyama appreciatively embraced each second of dozens of interactions all morning with a fan base that treated those brief intros as moments forever seared into their hearts.

Just four days prior, Wembanyama had led the Spurs onto the court at Tom Moore High School in Ingram, Texas, where a massive flood in July had left at least 136 people dead in a region that included communities in Ingram, Kerrville, Center Point, Mason and Hunt.

Wembanyama emerged from the back of the gym, tossing black Spurs T-shirts into the crowd and clapping while the sounds of shrieking students pierced the stuffy afternoon air. Wembanyama slapped hands with one young boy in the front row. The rest of the team took center court behind the Frenchman for a light workout consisting of layups, three-man weave drills, a half-court shot competition and dozens of thunderous dunks, some coming on ridiculous lobs thrown off the wall behind the baskets.

Wembanyama tossed a self alley-oop and caught the ball midair, taking it through his legs for a jam drawing delighted cheers.

Now, all that’s left for Wembanyama is to return to the court.

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Wemby works out with Olajuwon in offseason workout

Victor Wembanyama hits the gym with NBA Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon in the offseason.

BACK INSIDE OLAJUWON’S gym, the Rockets icon asked Wembanyama what he wanted to accomplish, a question more existential than cliché after this summer of international experience.

“He basically wanted to know how to leverage. Let’s leverage any opportunities you have, inside, outside, with opportunities in different situations without wasting energy,” Olajuwon told ESPN. “I know how skilled he is. So, our concept was not for ‘big men.’ Our concept was ‘big guards.’ You don’t want to dribble like a big man. We are big guards where you can play 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 with the freedom to create outside, inside, crossover and pull up without wasting any energy with any player because you have the advantage every night on everybody.”

Through four 2½-hour workouts in early September, Wembanyama developed his own variation of the Hall of Famer’s “Dream Shake” in addition to other tightly-wound spin moves that might leave opponents dizzy this upcoming season.

Then, there’s the jump hook Wemby is keeping under wraps.

“Yeah, that’s part of his moves,” Olajuwon said. “You know how well he can shoot, right? Can you imagine putting in the moves with him finishing his shots? If somebody like him can jump hook, you’re at his mercy. You can’t get to it. You can’t get to his jump shot or jump hooks. “

Teammate Jeremy Sochan says he’s already witnessed the evolution.

“You see how hard he works and how motivated he is,” Sochan said. “He’s super exciting to see and he’s ready. I think you guys are going to see a lot that’s going to shock you.”

Wembanyama, for his part, credits his most unusual offseason.

“I can assure you nobody has trained like I did this summer,” he said. “I think I’ve maxed out what I could do in one summer. Now, I need to play basketball.”

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