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'Ethical basketball': Internet reacts to thrilling Edwards-Wembanyama duel

There's all kinds of respect between Ant, Wemby, and the two fan bases who cheer for them.
Will Ragatz|
Jan 17, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the first half at Frost Bank Center.
Jan 17, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots against San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) in the first half at Frost Bank Center. | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

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One thing that's clear coming out of Saturday night's Timberwolves-Spurs thriller is that there's a lot of mutual respect between these two fan bases and the two superstar players who dominated the night, Anthony Edwards and Victor Wembanyama.

The Wolves and the Thunder have a rivalry with some real disdain. Same with the Wolves and Nuggets, even if Edwards and Nikola Jokic have lots of respect for one another. The Spurs and Thunder are the same way. With some of the league's top superstars — Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Luka Doncic in particular — there are real frustrations from fans, coaches, and players about flopping and foul baiting.

Edwards and Wembanyama don't do much of that. Ant will get frustrated with the officials when he doesn't get a call, but he isn't one to hunt for fouls or throw his body around in an effort to draw whistles. He tends to put his head down and go get buckets. Wemby is similar. It helps to be 7'5" or however he tall he is to go along with his immense skill, but he's not a foul baiter either.

On Saturday night, Edwards made 19 field goals and 8 free throws on his way to a career-high 55 points. Wembanyama made 12 field goals and 11 free throws for his 39 points. They both get to the free throw line because they're so difficult to stop — especially Wemby, with his unique size — but that's not what they're known for.

They both play "ethical basketball," to borrow a term that Wembanyama used earlier this season. And perhaps in part because of that, they seem to have a lot of respect for each other.

Timberwolves fans and Spurs fans seem to have a lot of respect for each other, too.

"Anthony Edwards plays ethical basketball," tweeted a prominent Spurs fan page after the game. "No bs, no foul baiting, just straight buckets and trash talking. I respect it." That post has over 35,000 likes.

There are plenty of other examples of that sentiment on social media.

Beyond the respect element, this was about as good as it gets in the NBA in terms of entertainment value. We saw two superstars, at 24 and 22 years old, performing at the peak of their (current) powers. They looked like the two future faces of the league — and two guys who will be battling for MVP awards and championships for a long time.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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