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"You gotta watch that word… They deport those" - Stan Van Gundy on Victor Wembanyama's "Alien" nickname
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- "You gotta watch that word… They deport those" - Stan Van Gundy on Victor Wembanyama's "Alien" nickname
Stan Van Gundy has never been shy about revealing his political views, even during a live TV broadcast. He proved that against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday while covering the NBA Cup semifinals game between the San Antonio Spurs and the Thunder for Prime Video.
In the fourth quarter of the game, while Victor Wembanyama was taking free throws, Van Gundy's broadcast partner, Michael Grady, mentioned Wemby's nickname, "Alien." Van Gundy quickly jumped in with a joke, suggesting the French star might need a new moniker because "Alien" could land him in trouble with the U.S. government.
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"The only thing is, in the current political environment, you gotta watch that word, they deport those," Van Gundy said. "We do not want Victor Wembanyama deported. Let's go with a different nickname."
It was a moniker given by LeBron
"Alien" is the nickname that LeBron James originally gave Wembanyama after watching the then-French teenager drop 37 points, including 7-of-11 from 3-point distance with five blocks in his first-ever game in the United States in 2022 when his Metropolitans 92 faced the G-League Ignite team in an exhibition game at the Dollar Loan Center in Henderson, Nevada.
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"Everybody's been a unicorn over the last few years, well, he's more like an alien," James said . "I've never seen, no one's ever seen anyone as tall as he is, but it's fluid and as graceful as on the floor. His ability to put the ball on the floor, shoot step-back jumpers on the post, step-back 3s, catch-and-shoot 3s, block shots. He's for sure a generational talent."
Later, Wembanyama himself said that he liked the moniker James gave him and preferred it over the overused "unicorn." Even his shoe sponsor picked it up, as his Nike logo is an alien's face.
The nickname stuck, especially since the Spurs center has continued to do things that no other player his size could do.
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Illegal immigration in the U.S.
Illegal immigration has long been a contentious issue in the United States, and during his campaign for a second term, President Donald Trump pledged to address it. After winning reelection, he moved quickly to follow through, and according to a December 10 report from the Department of Homeland Security, more than 2.5 million illegal aliens have left the U.S. since the start of this year.
"The Trump Administration is shattering historic records with more than 2.5 million illegal aliens leaving the U.S. DHS has deported more than 605,000 illegal aliens, and another 1.9 million have self-deported. Since January 20, DHS has arrested more than 595,000 illegal aliens," said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "Illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now. They know if they don't, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return."
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Technically speaking, Wembanyama could be called an "alien" because he is French, but he is obviously in the United States legally, making any suggestion of deportation purely humorous. Grady's point still stands that "Alien" is a fitting nickname for Victor's otherworldly talent, but it's not the one that's going to cost him his spot in the NBA.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 15, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
