Victor Wembanyama was named a starter for Team World in just his second selection as an All-Star in his career. The Spurs’ center recently spoke to the media and expressed his gratitude for being selected as the first-ever Frenchman to be an All-Star starter.
He was selected to play as an All-Star starter for Team World alongside Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
While speaking to the media, he also addressed some French reporters who reportedly asked him about the All-Star weekend, which had received criticism for not being competitive, and what he would do to change that.
“I want to push the great players of this sport to play in the All-Star game just as hard as I will. We’ll see how it goes, but if they don’t play hard, I’ll do it without them,” Wembanyama responded.
Several NBA fans saw this translation on social media and had a mixed reaction to the comments. Most of the fans were fired up that Wembanyama could potentially take over the steering wheel for Team World if others are not playing to win.
But some fans were also worried that the French star could potentially injure himself if he plays too hard during the All-Star game and thus asked him to be careful.
“Kobe would be proud.”
“Victor is maturing into a powerful and positive ambassador for the sport.”
“We really don’t deserve Wemby.”
“All-Star MVP loading.”
“Wemby out here demanding respect for the game. Face of the league energy already.”
“Please don’t hurt yourself.”
“Face of the league soon.”
Several such reactions flooded the internet as fans remained in awe of the mentality and approach that Wembanyama brings to the game. So far this season, he has averaged 24.8 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 2.9 assists while shooting 51.8% from the field and 40.0% from the three-point range.
But he was only available for 29 of the 43 games that the Spurs have played so far, several of which included him coming off the bench. Critics may point fingers at his selection as an All-Star starter, considering that Wembanyama has struggled with injuries most of this season.
For example, Draymond Green recently made comments on Wembanyama’s All-Star selection and seemed off on his potential to be the face of the league instead of Anthony Edwards.
Green said player relatability is an important factor in determining who becomes the face of the league, and no one relates to a seven feet five inches tall man from France in America.
I agree with Draymond Green on the point where he said Anthony Edwards or Deni Avdija could have earned and likely deserved a starter spot over Wembanyama. But I do not agree on the point that Wembanyama might never become the face of the league because he’s not American.
His message of pushing the best players in the league also resembles the ‘Mamba mentality,’ which made Kobe Bryant a renowned global ambassador for the sport.
People may contend that after Michael Jordan retired, LeBron James took over as the face of the league, and eventually, Stephen Curry came into that picture. But all that while, Kobe Bryant was getting the love not just from Americans but also from fans across the world.
Similarly, I believe that even though Americans may not see him as a domestic face of the league, Wembanyama is strongly stepping into the shoes of being a global ambassador for the league, whether Americans like it or not.
