I love watching Victor Wembanyama play.
He plays with unbridled enthusiasm and passion every time he steps onto the court. The 7-foot-4 French titan is a marvel to watch, and when he’s at his peak form, there is no current basketball player on Earth (or in outer space) that can match him.
But what he did after losing Game 5 to the Oklahoma City Thunder on the road was embarrassing.
Wembanyama had the worst game he’s played in the NBA playoffs, and following getting hounded by the Thunder crowd the entire night, he didn’t show up for the post-game press conference and left the arena instead.
If the San Antonio Spurs come back in Game 6 and then, in Game 7, win back in Oklahoma City, no one will remember Wembanyama skipping media availability. It’ll be chalked up to him being so focused that he put his series mindset ahead of talking to reporters.
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Yet, it doesn’t matter. Wembanyama has been great with the press throughout his short career, and this one moment of possible frustration or immaturity should in no way change how anyone thinks of him.
But it’s soft. It’s weak. It’s pathetic.
Players with far more criticism against them (literally look at every player on Oklahoma City) sit in front of the press after tough losses and answer questions, even if they’re on the edge of what should be acceptable or not.
Wembanyama was open after Game 1 of the series when he put on one of the most incredible conference finals performances of all-time by putting up 41 points and 24 rebounds, saying that watching rival Shai Gilgeous-Alexander receive his second-straight league MVP motivated him.
If the Spurs ace wants to be the face of the league and the sport, he needs to get knocked out sometimes and face the music from the press following a heartbreaking loss.
As a person and player, Wembanyama seems like one of the best representatives this league has had come through in the past quarter-century.
But that still doesn’t mean you can’t call him out when he does something wrong.
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