Victor Wembanyama had a solid performance against the Timberwolves tonight as the Spurs came away with a 115-108 win on the road. The French star spoke to the team of Amazon Prime’s Nightcap show, and Steve Nash asked him to predict who he thinks would win the upcoming UEFA Champions League final at the end of May.
“Oh come on, PSG of course… At least PSG is going to make it somewhat fun, because I know Arsenal ain’t,” Wembanyama responded.
His response went viral on social media as soccer fans were divided over which team would win. Some of them clearly did not make the connection that since Wembanyama is French, he is bound to favor the team based in France.
“Wemby, I was starting to like you, but malesh brother. You just gained a hater in me for life.”
“Mehn Wemby, f— you bro, I was all for you, and now you are playing with my team? OKC is gonna do the job for me then.”
“For someone who won the NBA defensive player of the year, one would think Wemby would support a defense-oriented team like Arsenal, I guess Spurs is Spurs, whether it is Tottenham Hotspur or San Antonio Spurs.”
“Was trying to support you because of my boy Dylan, but you’ve crossed the line. 🤧”
Some fans also agreed with him as they began firing shots at Arsenal, too.
“You know you’re cooked when even players of other sports know you play demonic football.”
“Arsenal will do their best to make this one of the most boring finals of all time.”
“Even NBA basketball knows Arsenal are boring.”
PSG is a team that he has previously also publicly supported. Therefore, his response should not be a shock to soccer fans. But his comment about Arsenal having a boring style of play clearly triggered some nerves. Various such reactions flooded social media as Arsenal fans were clearly unhappy with what Wembanyama said.
But the French star, who dominated on the court with 39 points, 15 rebounds, and five blocks last night (13-18 FG, 72.2 FG%, 3-5 3P, 60.0 3P%), feels his favorite team would play a much more exciting game than Arsenal, who are famous for its defensive style of play.
The Champions League final is still three weeks away (May 30) and will take place in Budapest, Hungary. It will be interesting to see if Wembanyama’s prediction is accurate. I personally feel it won’t be, but just like him, even my opinion is slightly biased here since I’m an Arsenal fan.
Victor Wembanyama Makes Bold Claims After Game 3 Win
When Wembanyama was talking to the crew of Prime’s Nightcap show, he made a bold claim about being excited about high-intensity games. Blake Griffin asked him about the mental growth in his game over the years.
“I’ve really been waiting since I’ve been in the league to live those moments, you know, those high stakes games, you know, that’s what I love.”
“It’s the feeling I got before games, you know, this I don’t know, this excitement or this heat in my heart, you know, it’s even stronger, and it just gets stronger and stronger as the games go on. I’m just built for this, you know. I love this more than anything else,” he responded.
The French starlet was so unfazed by the pressure that he had nothing but jokes when asked about the battle scars on his body from the game later in a press conference.
“It’s gonna happen, they’re Wolves after all,” he said on the fresh scars he had on his hand following the Game 3 win last night.
We seem to be witnessing the growth of Victor Wembanyama into a superstar in real time, and it’s just his third year in the league. The way Wembanyama has been growing, physically and mentally, I will not be surprised if the Spurs make deep playoff runs like this consistently for potentially the next two decades.
