Former Rockets Star Calls Out Media for Selective Bias Towards Victor Wembanyama

He makes valid points.

Jun 13, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) speaks to the media after the New York Knicks defeat the Spurs during game five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images | Dustin Safranek-Imagn Images

The James Harden era of the Houston Rockets was quite truly a time. Harden set records on a nightly basis and even put the Rockets on his back -- single-handedly willing and carrying the Rockets to the playoffs in several years.

In fact, the Rockets never missed the playoffs when Harden was on the roster. Unless you count the 2020-21 season, which you shouldn't, because Harden played just eight of the Rockets' 72 games.

However, Harden was unpopular. He drew a ton of criticism. For his lack of effort on the defensive end, for most of his career, his partying habits off the court, his ball-dominant style of play, his penchant for drawing fouls and getting to the free throw line, his disappearing acts in the deciding games of pivotal postseason matchups. His lack of maturity and leadership skills.

The list goes on. Lou Williams saw it all. Harden didn't get a pass for any of the criticisms -- many of them were valid. All eyes were constantly on Harden.

Much like what we've just witnessed with San Antonio Spurs superstar big man Victor Wembanyama. He, too, largely disappeared in the NBA Finals, averaging 7.2 points on 34 percent from the field in the fourth quarter of the NBA Finals, while getting targeted by the Knicks on many occasions.

Wembanyama also found himself in the middle of many different below the belt situations. The officials struggled with knowing when to call flagrant fouls and when not to.

Wembanyama's immaturity also rose to the forefront following the Spurs' defeat, when he refused to shake hands of the Knicks. However, many have given him a pass, for a multitude of reasons.

Youth. Competitor's spirit. All things that Williams deems to be merely excuses.

Williams took to Fanduel's Run it Back to explain why Wembanyama shouldn't be treated any differently than anyone else.

"We can't give him an excuse or give the rest of the team excuses like that. So if we're going to criticize it, let's criticize it the appropriate way. Let's not give him any excuses, because we wouldn't give any to anybody else.

We can't make the same excuse about the flagrant fouls, we can't make the excuse about the media availability, we can't make the excuse about 'see yall never', we can't make the excuse about shaking hands.

Let's put him in a group of guys that we love to criticize about the same exact thing. We've gotta give him some responsibility for some of these actions."

Williams continued.

"All of the credit that you want to be the face of the league, you have to carry that responsibility on the same level. When it's not going your way, you've gotta hold that crown."

The coverage does show a stark difference between how the media has viewed Wembanyama and other young superstars, either present or past, which makes it impossible not to agree with Williams.