Egor Dëmin traded the basketball court for the boxing ring in the latest Nets “Summer Side-Quests” video. The second-year guard got a crash course in footwork, combinations, and power from a former U.S. Olympian.
Egor Dëmin is staying busy this offseason, and his latest activity had nothing to do with basketball.
The Brooklyn Nets guard recently stepped inside Wild Card Boxing Club for the latest installment of the team’s “Summer Side-Quests” series, where he got the chance to learn some of the fundamentals of boxing.
Dëmin worked with Pepe Riley, a former member of the 1992 U.S. Olympic boxing team, during the session. Riley took Dëmin through different drills focused on footwork, distance, weight distribution, and punch combinations.
While Dëmin has plenty to learn before anyone starts calling him a boxer, he appeared to pick things up fairly quickly.
Riley started by explaining why fundamentals are so important in boxing, pointing out that many of the same concepts can apply to other sports as well.
“When you start boxing, the fundamentals are very important,” Riley said. “Something you can carry with you for the rest of the time.”
The two then got to work.
Dëmin practiced moving around the ring while maintaining his balance and worked on putting together different combinations. Riley also helped him understand how to properly shift his weight when throwing punches rather than relying solely on his arms.
At one point, Riley broke down how Dëmin could generate more power by allowing his body to move first before his arm followed.
“Keep this tight,” Riley told him during one combination. “There you go. That’s nice.”
Dëmin continued working through the drills, with Riley offering encouragement throughout the session.
The 6-foot-9 Dëmin certainly has the size and athleticism to make for an interesting first-time boxing student, although the workout still took its toll.
After finishing the session, Dëmin admitted that his shoulders and hands were feeling the effects.
“A little sore shoulders, hands, but good,” he said.
Riley was impressed with what he saw from Dëmin, considering it was his first time going through the workout.
“Pretty impressive for a first timer,” Riley said. “Not bad.”
The boxing session is just the latest way Dëmin has been keeping himself occupied during his first NBA offseason.
After being selected No. 8 overall by the Nets in the 2025 NBA Draft, Dëmin is now preparing for his second NBA season after returning to Summer League for a second time this offseason.
Now, he can apparently add boxing to the list of things he has tried during his offseason.
Nets fans also seemed to have plenty of fun with the video in the comments.
One fan joked that Dëmin was turning into the “Winter Soldier,” while another praised him for already completing his “side quests.” Other fans compared him to legendary boxers, with one calling him “Egor Tszyumin” and another joking that he could be the next “Pacman.”
It is unlikely Dëmin will be trading basketball for boxing anytime soon, but the video provided Nets fans with another look at him outside of his usual environment.
And if nothing else, Dëmin appears to have added another skill to his offseason résumé.
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