During the NBA All-Star Game, one thing that stood out was the competitiveness shown by San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. Although Team World, Wembanyama’s team, lost both of their games en route to being eliminated quickly, Wembanyama was clearly playing hard and playing to win.
Victor Wembanyama’s All-Star Game performance was a contrast to NBA fans have claiming that players don’t play hard in the event, and the Spurs star revealed that it was his upbringing that fueled his fire, as per Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
“I think it comes from honesty towards myself, honesty towards the game. That’s the game I love. I try not to take it for granted. When I’m on that court, I’m trying to win,” Wembanyama said. “My younger self, when I was a kid, if he saw myself playing soft in any game, he wouldn’t be proud. So I’m trying to strive for the younger Vic.”
In Team World’s first game, Wembanyama had a game-high 14 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots in 10 minutes. He didn’t miss a single 3-point shot, going 2-of-2 from distance while shooting 4-of-5 overall and also a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
In the second game for Team World, Wembanyama finished with a team-high 19 points and two rebounds in 10 minutes. He shot 6-of-8 from the field, 2-of-3 from the 3-point line and a perfect 5-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Amid Wembanyama’s superb season thus far, the Spurs have emerged as a possible contender in the Western Conference. They are currently in second place in the West standings at 39-16, and have won seven consecutive games. In the Spurs’ most recent win, a 121-94 blowout against the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, Wembanyama finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, one steal and five blocked shots.
He’s appeared in 40 games this season, at just about 29 minutes per game. He’s been averaging 24.4 points, 11.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.0 steals and a league-leading 2.7 blocked shots with splits of 51.1 percent shooting from the field, 36.3 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 81 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
