Victor Wembanyama's 'ethical basketball' comments, explained: Why Spurs star took shot at SGA, Thunder originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs are a budding rivalry in the NBA, highlighted by them being the two best teams in the NBA this season.
At the center of the rivalry is Victor Wembanyama, who is not only one of the best players in the league but has also taken shots at the Thunder in his career. While Oklahoma City was building on two dominant seasons since the start of the 2024-25 year, Wembanyama and the Spurs appeared to be the Thunder's kryptonite.
The Spurs went 4-1 against the Thunder in the 2025-26 season, handing Oklahoma City four of the team's 18 losses this season. That included one game at a neutral site, as they played in the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas, Nevada, along with three games in 12 days, all Spurs wins, concluding with a Christmas Day matchup.
In the process, Wembanyama criticized the way the Thunder play basketball without specifically naming the team, arguing San Antonio plays "ethical basketball." Here's a breakdown of what Wembanyama said earlier this year.
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Victor Wembanyama's 'ethical basketball' comments
Earlier in the 2025-26 season, Wembanyama seemed to take a shot at the Thunder's basketball style by praising the way the Spurs approach winning. The Spurs had just beaten the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals, handing Oklahoma City their second loss of the year just 26 games in, and Wembanyama was very confident with the way San Antonio played.
"I'm just glad to be a part of something that's growing to be so beautiful," he said. "So pure and ethical basketball."
Wembanyama was asked to clarify his comments a few days later, and he mentioned that he appreciated the versatility that the Spurs offense provides compared to other teams using more isolation in their offenses.
"In modern basketball, we see a lot of brands of basketball that don't offer much variety in dangers they propose to the opponents," he said. "Lots of isolation ball and, sometimes, kind of forced basketball. We try to propose a brand of basketball that can be described as more old school sometimes; the Spurs way as well. So it's tactically more correct basketball, in my opinion."
These comments came amid a stretch of basketball when the Spurs gave the Thunder their second, fourth and fifth losses of the year as they had initially won 26 of their first 31 games.
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Victor Wembanyama-Thunder beef
Wembanyama appears to have a beef with the Thunder, whether it's with the entire team or specific players. The star center seemingly doesn't respect Gilgeous-Alexander's style of play as much as others may, which is why he criticized the Thunder's penchant for isolation basketball.
Additionally, Wembanyama and Thunder center Chet Holmgren seem to have a budding rivalry dating back to before they entered the NBA. The consensus is that Wembanyama is the better player, but Holmgren has an NBA title after winning it all with the Thunder last year.
"I was told by somebody inside that room that Wemby is motivated by Chet," ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported earlier last year. "Chet having one up on him on the championship."
Therefore, Wembanyama will take any matchup with Holmgren and the Thunder personally, making this a potential rivalry for years to come.
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Thunder vs. Spurs gameplay
For being the two best teams in the NBA, the Thunder and Spurs have pretty different offensive styles on the court.
Thunder star and two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is perhaps the best isolation player in the NBA, so Oklahoma City largely runs its offense through its point guard.
While the Thunder have an incredibly deep team and have the ability to play team basketball when Gilgeous-Alexander is on the bench, backup point guard Ajay Mitchell's isolation offense has been one of the breakout stories of the playoffs.
On the other side, the Spurs play quintessential team basketball that is a continuation of the Gregg Popovich era. Wembanyama is a true superstar; he is still a center and doesn't employ iso in the way that many of the league's best guards and wings can.
San Antonio uses its size to be ferocious on the glass, averaging the second-most rebounds per game in the NBA this year, and the team is top-10 in the league in assists per game this year while the Thunder ranked in the bottom half.
Additionally, Wembanyama's immense talent gives the Spurs a chance to have five shooters on the floor and create a variety of mismatches that make them tough to guard.
