Egor Dëmin’s offseason has taken a sharp turn from hardwood to heavy bags.
The Brooklyn Nets guard showed up at Wild Card Boxing Club for the latest entry in the team’s “Summer Side-Quests” series, where he got a lesson in the basics from Pepe Riley, a former member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic boxing team. The session covered footwork, distance, weight distribution, and punch combinations, giving Dëmin a full introduction to the sport.
Riley made clear early on why the basics matter.
“When you start boxing, the fundamentals are very important,” Riley said. “Something you can carry with you for the rest of the time.”
From there, the work started. Dëmin moved around the ring while trying to stay balanced, then put together combinations as Riley walked him through how to shift his weight properly when throwing punches. Riley also showed him how power comes from letting the body lead before the arm follows.
“Keep this tight,” Riley told him during one combination. “There you go. That’s nice.”
For a first-time boxing student, Dëmin seemed to handle the drills well enough. The 6-foot-9 guard kept at it through the session, though the workout clearly left its mark.
“A little sore shoulders, hands, but good,” he said after finishing.
Riley liked what he saw from the Nets guard.
“Pretty impressive for a first timer,” Riley said. “Not bad.”
The boxing detour is only the latest stop in a busy first NBA offseason for Dëmin. After being selected No. 8 overall by the Nets in the 2025 NBA Draft, he is preparing for his second NBA season and has already returned to Summer League for a second time this offseason.
Now boxing can officially be added to the list of things he’s tried this summer.
Fans had plenty of fun with the video, too. One joked that Dëmin was becoming the “Winter Soldier,” another said he had already finished his “side quests,” and others compared him to boxers by calling him “Egor Tszyumin” and suggesting he could be the next “Pacman.”
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