Victor Wembanyama ethical basketball comments, San Antonio Spurs NBA Cup, Thunder, NBA Cup Final, ethical basketball
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Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs shoots between Chet Holmgren #7 and Cason Wallace #22 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the fourth quarter of a semifinal game of the Emirates NBA Cup at T-Mobile Arena on December 13, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Spurs defeated the Thunder 111-109.
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals over the weekend in what was an instant classic game.
After the win, star player Victor Wembanyama had choice words that many took as a diss to his opponents, talking about ‘ethical basketball‘in the face of backlash received by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and his ‘foul-baiting.’
Speaking most recently before theSpurs’ NBA Cup Final clash against the New York Knicks, Wembanyamawent into furtherdetail on the comments he made aftertaking down the defending champions.
ClutchPoints
“In modern basketball, we see a lot of brands of basketball that don’t offer much variety”
Victor Wembanyama elaborates on his “pure, ethical basketball” comment 🗣️
“In modern basketball, we see a lot of brands of basketball thatdon’t offer much variety,”he said. “A lot of isolation ball.Sometimeskind of forced basketball. Wetry to propose a brand of basketball that canbe seen askind of old-schoolsometimes, the Spursway as well. Soit’s tactically more correct basketball in my opinion.”
Despite a minutes restriction in his first game back from a calf injury, Wembanyama helped San Antonio hand the Thunder their second loss of the season, finishing with 22 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and two blocks in just 21 minutes.
Wembanyama On His ‘Ethical Basketball‘Comments
Though they took the two-point win over the top team in the NBA, the semifinal victory on Saturdaydidn’t come easy for the Spurs. The game wasextremely physical, with both teams making consistent efforts to get calls that were both warranted and perhaps a bit embellished.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been the target of criticism for his ability to get to the free-throw line, with many calling his style ofplay ‘unethical basketball.‘Speaking after the win is whenWembanyama’s first comments about that issue surfaced.
“I’m just glad to be part of somethingthat’s growing to be so beautiful — pure and ethical basketball,”he said postgame after the Spurs held the Thunder to their third-lowest scoring game of the season.
Most recently, Wembanyama elaborated on those comments, highlighting that he feels his team plays the more ‘correct‘style of basketball. In the same press conference, the7’5”French center added that he would like to win the NBA Cup, but he knows there is a bigger goal ahead.
“It’s not going to be a super significant step, but still a significant one, becauseit’s a high-stakes game that both teams are going to be very invested in winning… [A win would show] we are preparing and we will pass the next step for more significant games in the playoffs,”he told reporters. “As competitors, we want to win every game. This one brings something new to the table, so we want to win it even more.”
Wembanyama Injury Update For The NBA Cup Final
Even in his first game back after missing nearly a month, Wembanyamawasextremely impactful against the defending champions. However, he was on a minutes restriction, and San Antonio appears to be prioritizing their franchisestar’s health rather than the midseason tournament.
According to Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints.com, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson remained vague on whether he plans to re-add Wembanyama in the starting lineup, but said the team would be keeping a close eye on his minutes versus New York.
Brett Siegel
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson says that the team will continue to keep an eye on Victor Wembanyama’s minutes.
“We are still learning and we want to be very mindful of that.”
Johnson declined to answer if Wemby will come off the bench again on Tuesday against the Knicks.
“Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson says that the team will continue to keep an eye on VictorWembanyama’s minutes. ‘We are still learning and we want to be very mindful of that,’“Siegel wrote in a post on X, quoting the coach. “Johnson declined to answer if Wemby will come off the bench again on Tuesday against the Knicks.”
Even if he is on a similar minutes restriction, the Spurs’ supporting cast has played very strongly in his absence. The trio ofDe’Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, and Stephon Castle in the backcourt has been lethal over the past few games, and after beating the Thunder, finding a way to win against the Knicks feels like a lot easier task.
While it is yet tobe seen how the 2025 NBA Cup Final will play out, the excitement and intrigue of the Spurs-Thunder game, along withWembanyama’s postgame comments, and Alex Caruso and IsaiahHartenstein’spost-final whistle critiques of thegame’s officiating, many are dubbing the matchup theleague’snext great rivalry.