Victor Wembanyama is a gift that just keeps on giving. Just last night, he dominated the Nets in their building and got an easy win for his San Antonio team. But the young gun wasn’t done competing. Before heading to Minnesota for tomorrow’s Wolves clash, the French sensation issued an open challenge to the people in New York City, saying, “Who wants to meet me at the SW corner of Washington Square Park to play chess? I’m there.” Turns out, the Spurs star is also a Chess aficionado!

Sure enough, several fans answered the call and showed up at the park to play against Wemby. And the Frenchman sat in the rain for about an hour and played 4 games, putting up a 2-2 record! He even tweeted a picture with all the fans writing, “Thanks for everyone who pulled up in the rain.”

Moreover, Wemby was so pleased by the experience that he urged Adam Silver and Co. to begin a new initiative, “We need an NBA players only Chess tournament, proceeds go to the charity of choice of the winner.” Yes, if dominating his opponents on the court wasn’t enough, the youngster now wants to do it on the chessboard as well. And the cherry on top is it will all be for a greater cause.

Maybe, the youngster drew inspiration from former MVP Derrick Rose, who is also a passionate chess player. And Rose has utilized the sport to help kids escape violence by starting a chess club, as he revealed on a podcast last year. “Rose Chess. The Rose Club. This is a chess club I’m starting up, bro. Like getting kids to like critically think, bro. The only time kids critically think is when they about to cause harm on the m———-r. You know what I’m saying? But seriously, about to cause harm though. Thinking that they’re gonna get away with some s—. In reality, you get caught and you’re using that energy in the wrong way.”

Just like Wemby, Rose too came up with the idea of a chess related event last year with a new tournament called ‘Chesstival.’ As per their website, it had a prize pool of $147,500, which goes to show how much the former MVP wants to promote the sport to the masses.

How has chess helped improve Victor Wembanyama’s strategic thinking?

During his rainy-day chess encounter with fans, Wemby revealed that he started playing the sport when he was seven. In an interview earlier this year, he also revealed how the sport has improved his thinking patterns, “It’s something that makes the brain work a little bit. You have to adapt strategy and think about multiple actions and think two or three moves in the future.”

Maybe, that’s one of the reasons why Victor Wembanyama adapted so quickly to the NBA and turned into an instant superstar. After bagging the ROTY trophy last year, he has upped his game this season and has even begun making a claim for potential MVP honors! The Spurs star is averaging 25.2 points and a league-high 4 blocks.

After his Washington Square Park outing, an iconic place where several movies have been filmed and Bobby Fischer has played chess, Wemby admitted, “I’m glad I did that.”

Well, seeing the Frenchman and Derrick Rose’s passion and love for the sport, maybe the two stars can collaborate in the future to pitch Adam Silver the idea of a players-only tournament and make Wemby’s wish come true. Keeping the NBA’s steeply declining viewership in mind (17% drop last week itself), would you like to see your favorite players go head-to-head on the chessboard?