‘He’s a Kid!’: Wemby Under Intense Fire After His Viral Pre-Game Decision Triggers a Massive Political Firestorm and a Message from Trump
San Antonio Spurs star Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama is making headlines for the wrong reasons amid the NBA Finals.
Wemby’s skill set has taken a back seat amid growing outrage over an NBA Finals moment critics say crossed the line.
The Spurs superstar, 22, led the team to this year’s NBA Finals against the New York City Knicks.
NYC currently leads three games to one, but Wemby is the 2026 Defensive Player of the Year.
After facing an uphill battle in the championship round, right-wingers are targeting him online over the national anthem.
Wemby upset some NBA viewers when he folded his arms during “The Star-Spangled Banner” during Game 1.
Donald Trump praised the France-born athlete.
“Wemby looks like he’s going to be a great player,” Trump, said before questioned what happened.
When asked for his thoughts, he responded, “I did not see that. Is that what he did?” He then told the media to ask Wemby for an explanation.
ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith weighed in on the burgeoning angry narrative surrounding the national anthem in a clapback tweet directed at conservative influencer Matt Wallace.
“This is patently false. There are plenty of people who listen to the Nat’l Anthem and simply bow their heads with their hands in front of them or behind their backs and pay respects,” Smith, 58, wrote on June 4.
The “First Take” panelist continued, “Holding your hand over your heart is not a requirement. The Spurs were not being disrespectful in any way. Who is anyone to say they were just over that gesture? That is utterly ridiculous!!!”
However, there was further online outrage directed at Wemby following Game 3 on June 8 and Game 4 on June 10. The Frenchman was called out for not being courtside for the national anthem in New York.
Dan Zaksheske has become one of the loudest critical voices on the Wemby situation by posting a lengthy thread that seemed to suggest an alleged cover-up.
The reporter for the right-leaning OutKick website griped about the “deafening” silence from the professional basketball league and the networks that aired the Finals.
While Zaksheske is demanding answers from the NBA and ESPN, people on his X timeline seemed split over whether the rage is warranted or overblown.
“I can’t stand the guy, he’s a woke af Frenchman… I hope he never wins a title,” a seemingly irate Wemby hater tweeted. But a less-annoyed poster replied, “He’s a [22-year-old] ‘kid,’ calm down.”
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 defenders pushed back on the latest culture war grievance. One person posted, “He’s young and French. It’s really not a big deal.”
A more tongue-in-cheek reaction to the fury read, “He’s French, not American, it’s not his anthem. I want to get mad, but don’t know how.”
“Victor is not American, but most of you want to shame him for standing with his arms crossed. Y’all making it seem like he was picking his nose and scratching his ass?” one person argued.
Before Colin Protested – There Was Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf 1996 Protest:
@ZoWilliams @Freezluvcomedy @thecoreyholcomb
pic.twitter.com/8S5tLzD5rR
— Trey King
(@treythetruth213) September 18, 2016
Previously, sports leagues have faced intense backlash for competitors intentionally protesting during the playing of the national anthem. In 1996, Denver Nuggets guard Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf refused join his team on the sideline during pregame performances of the song, which led to the NBA suspending him for one game.
Two decades later, NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick started kneeling during the anthem in 2016 as a silent demonstration against police brutality and racial injustice, setting off an “anti-woke” movement on the right that Trump incorporated into his political campaigns.
Scandals involving “The Star Spangled Banner” have dominated mainstream news cycles in the past, but only time will tell if this most recent attempt to stir up resentment in the name of patriotism will be effective.
Americans across the country are upset about the growing cost of living that Trump promised to tackle as one of his campaign promises, which is likely an issue that will draw more anger than Wemby’s supposed faux pas, especially considering that even Trump brushed off the anthem story.
At the moment, Trump probably wants to avoid a public conversation tying his name with the NBA or the national anthem. The NYC-raised businessman experienced a major embarrassment when he was heavily booed in his hometown’s Madison Square Garden arena for Game 3 as Avery Wilson sang “The Star-Spangled Banner.”