This blunt Victor Wembanyama action in post-game interview has fans divided originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Victor Wembanyama’s relationship with the media during the Western Conference Finals has been unconventional. After a tough Game 5 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he walked past reporters to the team bus and skipped his mandatory postgame interview. While this violated NBA media rules, the league only issued a warning instead of a fine.
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Insider Chris Haynes reported that the NBA gave him a pass because the Pro Basketball Writers Association recently honored him for being highly accommodating to reporters. After the Spurs won Game 6, Wembanyama did speak on the sideline but only for a very brief moment.
His performance, however, is enough to explain the tension. In Game 5, the 22-year-old struggled and finished with 20 points, scoring 12 of them from the free-throw line. It was a massive drop from his 41-point, 24-rebound performance in Game 1 and his 33 points in Game 4.
However, he recovered in Game 6. In just 28 minutes, he recorded 28 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks and two steals. His bounce-back helped San Antonio to force Game 7 after a convincing 118-91 victory against Oklahoma City.
Following the win, Wembanyama did the NBC sideline interview briefly. When the reporter told him, “You live for big moments like this, you want to be on center stage. Why is this team built for moments like this?” Wembanyama shrugged it off, saying, “I can’t answer why. We just are. But we ain’t done nothing yet.”
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When asked how the Spurs held Oklahoma City to just 13 third-quarter points, he kept his answer even shorter, replying, “Trust in the coaches, play with effort. Thank you.” Right after saying that, he immediately turned around and walked away mid-interview without waiting for the next question or saying anything else.
Watching him make a quick exit after the short interview, a commentator said, “Wemby quick on that — as quick as he was around the basket.”
The clip spread fast and fan reactions split right down the middle. While some loved it, a handful of folks found it annoying.
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“Had to get to his monk meditations before Game 7,” one viewer wrote.
Another added, “Wemby knew the next questions are gonna be stupid. He sensed it.”
A third posted, “Lmaooo Wemby said ‘peace out’… Bro is locked in monk mode for real.”
A fourth viewer simply noted, “Wemby did not want to do that interview. He’s already locked in for Game 7.”
Others weren’t as charmed, with one penning, “Hard to like him.”
A random X user remarked, “He getting annoying too now lol.”
Regardless of how people view his exit, there’s one thing we know for sure. Wembanyama is focused on Game 7, which tips off Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in Oklahoma City. He actually has no option but to be the gravitational force of the underdog Spurs in the elimination game to defeat the defending champions.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
