It's actually getting weird at this point.
If you've been watching the San Antonio Spurs lately, you know exactly what I’m talking about. We are currently in January 2026, and the NBA is basically being reshaped by a human being who looks like he was built in a lab to play 2K with the sliders turned all the way up.
Victor Wembanyama isn't just a tall guy who can shoot; he’s the Athlete of the Month because he is currently averaging something like 30 points and 5 blocks per game. Honestly, the blocks are the part that messes with your head. Most players are happy to get two a night. Wemby is doing five.
He’s not just swatting shots into the third row, either. He’s catching them. He’s tipping them to himself and starting fast breaks. It’s fundamentally changing how teams have to play against the Spurs, and yet, nobody has figured out a counter yet.
The Freakish Consistency of the Modern Athlete of the Month
The thing most people get wrong about "Athlete of the Month" honors is they think it’s just about one flashy highlight. It isn't. Not at this level. To be the best in January, when the "mid-season grind" starts to eat everyone else alive, you need a level of physical maintenance that borders on the obsessive.
Take a look at what’s happening in other sports right now too.
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In the NFL, the playoffs are in full swing. We’re seeing guys like Matthew Stafford—who is basically held together by tape and sheer willpower at 37—leading the Rams through the gauntlet. Or look at the NHL, where the All-Star buzz is picking up. But even with all that going on, Wemby stands out because he’s doing things we literally haven't seen in the history of the sport.
He’s currently leading the league in PER (Player Efficiency Rating), hovering around a 41. To put that in perspective, Nikola Jokic—the man who has basically owned the MVP trophy for years—usually sits in the mid-30s during his best runs.
Is a 41 PER sustainable? Probably not. Statistics say it should drop. But watching him play, you kinda start to wonder if the old rules even apply to him anymore.
What Really Happened with the All-Star Voting This Year
There was a lot of drama recently regarding the 2026 All-Star starters announcement. We’ve seen a massive shift in the hierarchy. For the first time in over two decades, LeBron James is at risk of missing the starting lineup.
The fans have shifted their gaze.
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Luka Dončić and Giannis Antetokounmpo are currently leading the fan votes, but the Athlete of the Month conversation always circles back to the defensive impact. You can score 40 points in today's NBA and it’s almost "normal." Scoring 30 while making the other team afraid to enter the paint? That’s the real difference-maker.
- The Wemby Effect: Teams are taking 15% fewer shots at the rim when he’s on the floor.
- The Shai Factor: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is still a scoring machine, recently dropping 55 in a single game.
- The Jokic Standard: Even with a recent knee scare, the big man in Denver is still a walking triple-double.
But none of them feel as "inevitable" right now as Wembanyama. It's the "superstar leap" we all predicted, only it’s happening faster than anyone expected.
It’s Not Just the Pros
I think we also need to shout out what’s happening in the college scene this January. UNI Athletics just named their own student-athletes of the month, including guys like Trey Campbell and Carter Morton.
Morton recently broke the MVC indoor record for the heptathlon with 6,054 points. That is a massive number. It’s easy to get lost in the multimillion-dollar contracts of the pros, but the "Athlete of the Month" spirit is often loudest in the gyms where nobody is watching.
Then you have someone like NiJaree Canady over at Texas Tech. She’s signing million-dollar NIL deals because she’s simply that dominant on the mound. January is a weird transition month for sports, but it’s where the real stars separate themselves from the "one-hit wonders."
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Why the January Athlete of the Month Title Still Matters
A lot of people think these awards are just "fluff." Just something for the PR team to post on Instagram.
But if you talk to the trainers or the players themselves, they’ll tell you that January is the hardest month to stay focused. The holidays are over. The weather is usually trash. The "new season" energy has worn off.
Winning Athlete of the Month right now is a testament to discipline. It’s about who didn't take an extra week off during the New Year. It’s about who spent their mornings in the ice bath while everyone else was sleeping in.
Look at the Winter Olympics prep happening right now for Milano Cortina 2026. Athletes like Eileen Gu and Jenning de Boo are hitting their peak training cycles. For them, being the "top athlete" this month isn't about a trophy; it’s about making sure they don't peak too early before February's opening ceremony.
Actionable Insights for Your Own Training
You don't have to be a 7-foot-4 French phenomenon to use the same logic these pros use. If you want to own your own "Athlete of the Month" title—even if it’s just in your local CrossFit box or your home gym—here is how the elites are doing it this January:
- Prioritize Recovery Over Everything: The reason Wemby is still healthy and dominant is his flexibility routine. He spends hours on toe strength and joint mobility. Most of us just lift heavy and wonder why our backs hurt.
- Adjust Your "Season" Goals: Don't look at the whole year. These athletes focus on 30-day "sprints." What can you accomplish by January 31st?
- Data Doesn't Lie: Use a tracker. Whether it's a WHOOP, a Garmin, or just a notebook, the best athletes in the world are obsessed with their stats right now. They know exactly how much sleep they need to perform.
- Embrace the Boring: January is for the fundamentals. Footwork. Hand-eye coordination. The stuff that isn't "cool" enough for a TikTok but wins games in the fourth quarter.
The race for the 2026 awards is just getting started, but the bar has been set incredibly high. Whether it’s the NBA, the upcoming Winter Games, or the college tracks, the level of competition this month is honestly some of the best we've seen in years. Keep an eye on the injury reports and the shooting percentages—those are the real stories behind the headlines.
To really stay ahead of the curve, start tracking your own performance metrics weekly rather than monthly. This allows for mid-course corrections before a bad week turns into a bad month. Focusing on "micro-wins"—like hitting a specific hydration target or finishing a mobility circuit—builds the momentum necessary to sustain elite performance through the grueling winter season.