Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama of the San Antonio Spurs is making headlines for the wrong reasons as the NBA Finals unfold.
The rookie sensation’s on-court prowess has taken a back seat amid a surge of outrage over a Finals moment that critics argue crossed a line.
The Spurs star, 22, steered his team to this year’s championship series against the New York Knicks.
New York City currently holds a 3-1 lead, yet Wembanyama is the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year.
After grinding through a difficult path to the finals, conservatives online directed their attention toward him over the national anthem.
Wembanyama drew ire from some viewers by folding his arms during “The Star-Spangled Banner” before Game 1.
Donald Trump praised the France-born athlete.
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“Wemby looks like he’s going to be a great player,” Trump said before he was asked what happened. When pressed for his thoughts, he replied, “I did not see that. Is that what he did?” He then urged the media to ask Wemby for an explanation.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the growingly heated discussion around the national anthem in a clapback tweet aimed at conservative influencer Matt Wallace.
“This is patently false. There are many people who listen to the National Anthem and simply bow their heads with their hands folded in front of them or placed behind their backs to show respect,” Smith, 58, wrote on June 4.
The “First Take” panelist added, “Holding your hand over your heart is not mandatory. The Spurs weren’t disrespectful in any way. Who has the right to say otherwise about that gesture? That notion is utterly ridiculous!!!”
Nevertheless, more online outrage targeted Wembanyama after Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10, with critics accusing him of skipping the national anthem by not being courtside in New York.
Dan Zaksheske has emerged as one of the most strident critics of the Wemby situation, posting a lengthy thread that appeared to hint at a possible cover-up.
The OutKick journalist blasted what he called the “deafening” silence from the NBA and the networks that carried the Finals.
While Zaksheske calls for explanations from the NBA and ESPN, his X feed residents were split on whether the outrage is warranted or blown out of proportion.
“I can’t stand the guy, he’s a woke af Frenchman… I hope he never wins a title,” one clearly upset Wemby critic tweeted. Yet another less-irritated fan replied, “He’s a [22-year-old] ‘kid,’ take it easy.”
Another Wemby detractor complained, “And they want him to be the face of the league. SMH.” Someone else suggested, “He obviously wants attention. Don’t give it to him.”
In contrast, Wemby’s supporters pushed back against the latest culture-war grievance. One commenter wrote, “He’s young and French. It’s really not a big deal.”
A more lighthearted reaction to the controversy read, “He’s French, not American, it’s not his anthem. I want to be upset, but I’m not sure how.”
“Victor isn’t American, but plenty of people want to shame him for standing with his arms crossed. Do you really think he was picking his nose or scratching himself?” one observer argued.
In the past, sports leagues have faced intense backlash when athletes deliberately protested during the national anthem. In 1996, Denver Nuggets guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused to stand with his teammates during pregame performances of the song, which led the NBA to suspend him for one game.
Two decades later, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick began kneeling during the anthem in 2016 to protest police brutality and racial injustice, triggering a right-wing “anti-woke” wave that Trump later used in his political campaigns.
Controversies surrounding “The Star-Spangled Banner” have long dominated major news cycles, but only time will tell whether this latest attempt to inflame patriotism will achieve its intended effect.
Across the country, Americans are upset by the rising cost of living that Trump vowed to tackle as part of his campaign platform, a concern that is likely to generate more outrage than Wembanyama’s supposed misstep, especially since Trump himself brushed off the anthem controversy.
For now, Trump likely wants to steer clear of a public dispute tying him to the NBA or the national anthem. The New York-born businessman endured a notable moment of discomfort when he was loudly booed at Madison Square Garden in his hometown during Game 3 as Avery Wilson performed “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
