As Victor Wembanyama watched Shai Gilgeous-Alexander stand at center court and raise the NBA MVP trophy before Game 1 of the Finals, he wasn’t applauding. He was absorbing. Storing the moment away, perhaps for something greater. And well, seven games later, with the WCF Trophy secured and the Conf. Finals MVP award in his own hands, Wembanyama revealed just how much that scene had stayed with him. “This fueled me more than anything else could have,” the Spurs superstar had admitted.

The reaction echoed a mindset that has defined some of basketball’s fiercest competitors — using every slight, every celebration, and every spotlight shining on someone else as motivation to reach an even greater stage. It’s a mentality Wembanyama has openly credited to the late Kobe Bryant for years. And after his Conference Finals performance, many around the league saw unmistakable traces of Bryant’s legendary Mamba Mentality in the young French phenom, including a former Spurs champion who knows exactly what championship greatness looks like.

“Victor is that anomaly,” said Sean Elliot (current analyst for the Spurs on the local broadcast team) on The Rich Eisen Show. “He’s got that guard, that little man motor, that heart like Avery Johnson has, where he just wants to get better and better and better. He’s got that Kobe Bryant drive where he wants to be the very best player in the game. And the best player that’s ever played. He’s always in the gym, always working on his game. He’s got incredible, incredible competitiveness, and that’s something that you just don’t see very often again in bigs. So I make that comparison. I tell people all the time he’s got Kobe’s makeup in a 7-foot-plus frame.”

The comparison to the Lakers legend runs deep. Victor Wembanyama has frequently cited Bryant as a massive personal inspiration, and his camp has even studied the late legend’s routines to build unique development programs. Wemby’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye, proactively sought out Los Angeles Lakers GM Rob Pelinka (Kobe’s former agent) to study exactly how Bryant approached greatness.

“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. I wanted to understand how Kobe did things, 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.”

While Kobe Bryant had his unusual methods that his teammates or rivals couldn’t keep up with, Victor Wembanyama has his own drive to achieve greatness. That’s why he even participated in the unusual training with Chinese monks during the offseason.

It consisted of multiple 90-minute meditation sessions, a form of Kung Fu known as the Shaolin 13 Fist Form, and even following the same strict vegan diet as the other monks. The unanimous DPOY, even returning from the trip, continued to challenge himself.

Wemby asked his teammates to take turns and try to score on him. One by one, every player went at the Frenchman, only to be flat-out denied. After this, he even sprinted the length of the court, all in hopes of going till the end in the playoffs.

Victor Wembanyama quoted Kobe Bryant during the playoffs debut

The mindset wasn’t just evident after Game 7. It had been on display throughout the entire postseason.

While Wembanyama’s playoff run will be remembered for the numbers – four 30-point performances, a 40-point explosion, six games with at least 15 rebounds, and four contests with five or more blocks. The stats only tell part of the story. Through 17 playoff games, the French superstar averaged 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks while shooting 51% from the field and 37% from three-point range.

What stood out even more was his approach. No matter how dominant the performance, Wembanyama never seemed satisfied.

That mentality was evident from the very beginning of San Antonio’s postseason journey. In Game 1 of the first-round series against Portland, Wembanyama erupted for 35 points on 13-of-21 shooting, including a scorching 5-of-6 from beyond the arc. He added five rebounds, two blocks, and an assist in a statement victory.

Yet afterward, there was little interest in celebrating the individual achievement.

“That was a great first. We were really solid. As expected, job’s not done,” Wembanyama said.

The response sounded strikingly familiar to those who followed Kobe Bryant’s career. Bryant famously viewed every accomplishment as merely another step toward a larger goal, refusing to become distracted by individual success before the ultimate objective was achieved.

For years, Wembanyama has spoken about studying Bryant’s mentality.

Back in 2022, Wembanyama told L’Équipe: “I think about him [Kobe Bryant] almost every day since his death. His disappearance shocked me. I admire his spirit, work ethic, and game philosophy… Following his example every day, I try to push my limits.”

Throughout this playoff run, he appeared to embody many of the same principles that made the Lakers legend one of the most relentless competitors in NBA history.

Back in the 2009 Finals, the Lakers were up 2-0 against the Magic. Yet, Mamba was not happy, and reporters wanted to know why.

“Job’s not finished. Job finished? I don’t think so,” Kobe had said then.

The Lakers defeated the Magic in five games, and Bryant was named NBA Finals MVP. In his third season, Wemby has reached the Finals and has long aimed to cross the finish line. It’s not a question of ‘if’ but ‘when.’