Good news, Spurs Vinban Yama returns to the training ground to train with French rookie Renault

San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Vinbanyama was photographed training with a French NBA rookie on the training ground.

San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Vinbanyama has attracted a lot of attention, not just because of his height or basketball talent. According to KENS 5 San Antonio, Vinban Yama was photographed training on the basketball court with French NBA rookie Maxim Renault.

Venbanyama and Renault are both from France and are both over 7 feet tall (about 2.1 meters). The two seemed to be friends, and social media posts showed they also played chess together.

Wenban Yama is a passionate chess player and a celebrity in the Spurs. He missed the game due to a blood clot for most of the 2024-25 season.

Renault achieved a brilliant college career with Stanford basketball last season. He averaged a double-double in the 2024-25 season, scoring more than 20 points per game, and snatched 10.6 rebounds per game. Stanford just finished their first season in the Atlantic Coast League.

The Spurs have the second pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. According to KENS 5 predictions, Renault will be selected in the last or second round of the first round. The San Antonio Spurs also have the second pick in the first round, the 14th pick.

The Spurs hope to help Victor Wimbaniam in the 2025 NBA Draft. The Spurs performed better last season than the previous year. Despite the injury, Vinban Yama still made great contributions to the team. He averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds per game.

The Spurs also have experienced defender Chris Paul to assist Vampangyama's offense. San Antonio will obviously use their second pick to choose a key player who can help the team. San Antonio can use this second pick to select several players, including Duke guard Con Knuppel and Rutgers guard Dylan Harper.

According to ESPN's latest mock draft predictions, the Spurs are expected to choose Harper. Jeremy Woo of ESPN wrote: "The San Antonio Spurs are very satisfied with their lottery luck, and early signs show that they are very satisfied with Harper, and in the backcourt combination with De Aaron Fox and NBA Rookie of the Year Stephen Castle, they prioritize the best players over the physical condition of the players."

It will be interesting to see if the Spurs will pick Renault with a more backward draft pick. Apparently, the French star has a connection with Vinban Yama. Renault started 94 games at Stanford and made 129 appearances. The Dallas Mavericks will receive the first pick and are expected to pick Duke’s star forward Cooper Flag. The 2025 NBA Draft will be held on June 25.