Fox Sports' Nick Wright thinks Victor Wembanyama went too far for a young player who hasn't won anything when he lectured reporters about "ethical basketball" and "sophisticated offense" during the postgame press conference of last week's NBA Cup semifinals game between the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder .
According to Wright, Wemby might want to prove himself first in the league before he starts talking about such things.
"I don't need to be talked down to or lectured about ethical basketball or which teams have sophisticated offense from a 20-year-old French kid who hasn't won anything," said Wright. "Wemby has shown more than flashes of greatness. He is bordering on being a great player already, full stop. He obviously has seemingly limitless potential. But I'd love to see the guy accomplish literally anything before he's telling us which teams have a sophisticated offense and which teams play ethical basketball," Nick stated.
Wembanyama raised eyebrows when, after his Spurs snapped the Thunder's 16-game winning streak and ended their NBA Cup, he said he was glad to be part of a growing team that is playing "pure and ethical basketball." While he did not say it outright, many felt he was taking a dig at the Thunder, whose star, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander , is always criticized for "unethically" drawing a lot of fouls by hunting them.
Aside from seemingly taking a shot at the Thunder for their "unethical" style of play, Wembanyama also commented that the New York Knicks , whom they were about to face in the NBA Cup finals, do not have a "sophisticated" offense like the Thunder or Miami Heat , but are just a very physical team. And although it sounded like Wemby did not mean harm with those two comments, Wright thinks that those topics are beyond his pay grade at this point in his career.
"It's just a lot of talking," he added. "He is espousing wisdom like the Shaolin monks that he spent time with. The thing is, those guys are 60."
A couple of days ago, Wemby's indirect criticism of the Thunder also caught a stray from former Miami Heat captain Udonis Haslem . During last Friday's episode of the NBA on Prime studio show, Haslem and thought that Wembanyama sounded weak by disrespecting the defending NBA champions.
"You can't whine your way, you can't cry your way, you can't beg your way to a championship. None of that. That's not happening," said Haslem. "I'm not sure if he's talking about OKC, but I wanna hear none of that when it comes to OKC. Stop it! That's what I want to tell people at home. Like a tush push, stop it."
You can understand where UD is coming from with his criticism of Wemby. However, with Wright saying that Wemby doesn't have the right to talk too much because he's 20 and he's done nothing yet, that's Wright's opinion, because Wemby has already accomplished more in three seasons than most have in their careers. Well, except for winning a title, if that's what he meant.
But does that mean that you can't talk, too, if you don't have a ring?
Related: Victor Wembanyama's huge basketball problem ended with his coach's timely advice
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 22, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
