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Victor Wembanyama Responds to Jaylen Brown's 'Alien' Comment

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Grant Afseth | Last updated Mar 9, 2026 9:39 PM ET

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama said Boston Celtics forward Jaylen Brown's widely circulated comment calling him an alien is a mark of respect, but that the awards such a reputation could bring would mean far more to him than the praise itself.

"I agree, I see it as a mark of respect," Wembanyama told reporters. "That doesn't mean much to me. The awards which represent this would mean more to me."

Wembanyama earned Western Conference Player of the Week honors on Monday after San Antonio won all four of its games last week. He averaged 26 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.3 blocks during that stretch, which included a 38-point, 16-rebound performance against Detroit and a comeback win over the Los Angeles Clippers in which he later acknowledged nearly blacking out from exhaustion in the first quarter.

San Antonio Spurs forward forward Victor Wembanyama (1) pumps his fist at the end of the second half against the Detroit Pistons at Frost Bank Center.Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Spurs coach Mitch Johnson limited Wembanyama to short stints against the Clippers as San Antonio rallied from a 25-point deficit.

"We pushed him to his limits last night and what that was, and as we've been all year, mindful of that, and the plan was executed," Johnson said. "We'd rather sacrifice the stint than the effort."

Wembanyama finished with 27 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks in 22 minutes. After the game, he spoke about what the rally meant to him.

"The best thing that I see is that nobody gives up on anything or anybody," Wembanyama said. "Everybody gets everybody's back. That's why I have blind trust in these guys. I love them so much."

Wembanyama also won Western Conference Player of the Month for February. San Antonio has outscored opponents by 25.7 points per 100 possessions with him on the floor since Feb. 1 and has won 15 of its last 16 games. The Spurs trail Oklahoma City by 2.5 games for the top seed in the Western Conference.

On the season, Wembanyama is averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds, three assists and three blocks. He has appeared in 50 games after missing time with a quadricep strain and a hyperextended knee and will need to play 14 of San Antonio's remaining 18 games to reach the 65-game threshold required to qualify for MVP, All-NBA and Defensive Player of the Year voting.

The two players most frequently mentioned alongside him in MVP discussions face similar eligibility questions. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has missed 12 of the Oklahoma City Thunder's games this season. Meanwhile, Nikola Jokic has missed 16 games of the Denver Nuggets' schedule.

Against Philadelphia last week, Wembanyama scored just 10 points but produced eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and six blocks while San Antonio outscored the 76ers by 41 in his 24 minutes.

"I could go four minutes straight without touching the ball and find enough ways to impact the game," Wembanyama said. "Making our teammates better by setting screens, rolling hard, calling for the ball in the right places."

San Antonio hosts Boston on Tuesday night in a nationally televised game, the second meeting of the season and fourth all-time between Wembanyama and Brown.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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