French prospect and the projected no. 1 pick of the 2023 NBA Draft Victor Wembanyama called out FIBA for publishing on its website what he is now claiming as a “fake interview” of him.
On February 18, the organization published an exclusive interview on Wembanyama where the big man talked about playing for the France national team and the importance of the upcoming European qualifiers for the FIBA World Cup.
The problem is the said story is apparently fake, with Wembanyama himself confirming that the interview never happened. He called out the organization on Instagram and expressed his disbelief that it got out without them checking the legitimacy of it.
“4 days ago FIBA published a fake interview of me,” Wembanyama wrote on Instagram. “Wtf???”
Immediately after Victor Wembanyama issued the call-out, FIBA released a statement to apologize to the youngster, adding that it has taken down the said article. Apparently, the governing body for international basketball couldn't confirm the veracity of the interview provided by a long-time French contributor.
“An article featuring a supposed interview with Victor Wembanyama was recently published on the FIBA website. After doubts were expressed by the player regarding the interview, which was provided to FIBA by a long-time French contributor, the veracity of the interview could not be confirmed,” FIBA said in its statement.
“FIBA has without delay removed the article and all related social media posts, and has immediately terminated the relationship with the freelance reporter. FIBA apologizes to Victor and the French team and wishes them all the best in the forthcoming #FIBAWC qualifiers.”
Wembanyama has yet to comment to FIBA's apology, though it's certainly not a good look for the organization.
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