Don't let his soft-spoken demeanor fool you. Victor Wembanyama possesses a healthy dose of arrogance that, one presumes, is almost a requisite to go from a great to an all-time great athlete.
During his Christmas Day debut, Wemby got off to an awful start as he traveled in the first possession and missed two consecutive threes within the first two minutes. The Madison Square Garden crowd didn't even taunt him for his early struggles, but Wemby saw the need to bark at them regardless when he made his first basket at the 10:12 mark.
As the game progressed, the Frenchman routinely stared down the crowd after every blocked shot, made basket and even had words for the Knicks bench during a timeout.
After the game, which his Spurs lost, Wemby discredited the Knicks' win by suggesting he and his teammates allowed the home team back into the contest in the fourth quarter.
"In the last [few] minutes, we let them get some rebounds on us," he told reporters. "We let them move us a little bit. That's what this is about. They didn't win against us because they played better basketball — not at all."
The 7-footer also prepared the league for when his young squad learns to "flip the switch" and thereby win close games. His comments further highlighted his understated hubris.
Wemby had similarly warned his NBA peers when he said he was "worried for his opponents in a couple of years" after his star-making performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Victor Wembanyama says the Knicks didn’t win because they played better basketball. “They won because we’re not ready.” Says Spurs need to play like dogs and learn to flip the switch when it matters. Once we do, it’ll become addictive—and it’s coming soon. #PorVida pic.twitter.com/fnZgKodGCL
— SpursRΞPORT (@SpursReporter) December 25, 2024
As for comments on Wednesday, Wembanyama likely feels he has a point to prove every time he returns to New York. During his MSG debut in Nov. 2023, he was serenaded with "overrated" chants, which he did not appreciate. He would respond with his first 40-point performance when the Knicks visited the Spurs in March 2024.
In just his second trip to the Garden, Wemby silenced his detractors and likely started what should be a lengthy rivalry between him and Knicks fans.
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