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Victor Wembanyama Seemingly Takes Dig at Thunder After Spurs Upset OKC in NBA Cup

There’s a budding rivalry between the Spurs and the Thunder, that much is clear after Saturday night’s intense matchup.

Madison Williams

Victor Wembanyama seemingly took a shot at the Thunder’s style of basketball after the Spurs beat them in the NBA Cup semifinal.
Victor Wembanyama seemingly took a shot at the Thunder’s style of basketball after the Spurs beat them in the NBA Cup semifinal. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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Victor Wembanyama came off the bench for the first time in his career on Saturday night vs. the Thunder to make his return to the court after nearly a month of dealing with a calf strain. This Spurs’ decision worked in the long run as Wembanyama’s 22 points and nine rebounds helped the team hand Oklahoma City just its second loss of the season at 111–109. With the loss, the Thunder were eliminated from the NBA Cup, while the Spurs get to advance to the finals.

Wemby was very quotable after the upset, but there was one line he said to media that seemingly took a shot at the Thunder. OKC has been criticized this season for playing “unethically” by drawing a lot of fouls but not committing as many. Even though Wembanyama doesn’t name the Thunder specifically in his response, this sentence could definitely be taken as a shot to his opponent.

“I’m just glad to be part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful—pure and ethical basketball,” he said.

This wasn’t the only comment Wembanyama has made recently to spark some tension between him and the Thunder. In a pre-recorded interview with Amazon Prime Video before Saturday night’s game, Wembanyama seemingly was dismissive towards Chet Holmgren, who he is often considered a rival of, by only naming reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as a threat on OKC.

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Former Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki didn’t appreciate Wembanyama’s comment, and even called him “dismissive” towards Holmgren. There seems to be a budding rivalry between the Spurs and Thunder at this rate.

Wembanyama’s feeling confident about the Spurs’ play in general after the win, alluding to the fact that San Antonio is ready for a big moment in the franchise, while some other teams struggle under the success and pressure.

“Some people are built for this moment and some aren't. We definitely are, and it shows.”

The Spurs moved to 18–7 on the season with Saturday’s win. They’ll be a fun team to watch the rest of the season. You never know what Wembanyama will say next.

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Madison Williams
MADISON WILLIAMS

Madison Williams is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated, where she specializes in tennis but covers a wide range of sports from a national perspective. Before joining SI in 2022, Williams worked at The Sporting News. Having graduated from Augustana College, she completed a master’s in sports media at Northwestern University. She is a dog mom and an avid reader.

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