SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama may be too tall for the sport of boxing but San Antonio's boxing champ Jesse James Leija is impressed with how well the 19-year-old is with the gloves on.
As in all past offseasons, the Spurs recruited the former WBC super featherweight belt holder to train players ahead of the start of training camp.
And this time it was Wembanyama's turn to throw jabs and hooks with Leija.
"He picked it up so fast. Very athletic," Leija said.
For over a decade, the Spurs have turned to Leija to get the players in peak physical condition.
Whether it is in the Spurs' training facility or Leija's gym "Leija Boxing Fitness" on Broadway, the pro boxer has put players through the gauntlet.
That's plenty of years to assess which players have opened his eyes when it comes to them in gloves.
Some past Spurs who have impressed Leija in the ring are Lonnie Walker IV, Keldon Johnson, and Luka Samanic.
But with Wembanyama, he was equally impressed.
"I was impressed with how fast he picked up boxing," said Leija.
However, it wasn't just the rookie's athleticism that caught Leija's attention. He says Wembanyama is just a great person to be around.
"A very nice young man. Wemby is so nice and a very cool young man," he said.
Leija mentioned the best player he trained with him was Manu Ginobili. He noted that the Hall of Fame Spur could have been a pro boxer if he wanted to.
And in case you didn't know, Leija shared that former Spur Matt Bonner is the hardest puncher.
As for the current players, Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell have gone through Leija's intense conditioning programs.
Just take a listen at Leija's guest spot on Locked On Spurs.
Leija says the current crop of players are pretty good with the gloves, like Jeremy Sochan, and all are good athletes.
And the former boxer believes Wembanyama is going to be special in San Antonio.
"I think he will be a perfect fit for the Spurs," he said.
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