Long before they made it to the NBA, basketball fans and scouts compared Victor Wembanyama to Chet Holmgren. One was the homegrown talent, and the other looked poised to take the league by storm from overseas, and they even faced off in international competitions.
Fast forward to today, and while Holmgren holds bragging rights in terms of silverware, Wembanyama has separated himself from the rest of the pack in terms of being one of the best players in the world.
That's why, after the San Antonio Spurs handed the OKC Thunder their second loss of the season, some thought that Wembanyama was taking a shot at Holmgren's team.
He claimed that the Spurs played 'ethical basketball,' which seemed like a jab at the Thunder's alleged foul-baiting. That's why, after stirring the pot, he had to clarify his comments.
Victor Wembanyama explains his 'ethical basketball' comments
“In modern basketball, we see a lot of brands of basketball that don’t offer much variety in dangers they propose to the opponents. Lots of isolation ball and, sometimes, kind of forced basketball. We try to propose a brand of basketball that can be described as more old school sometimes; the Spurs way as well. So it’s tactically more correct basketball, in my opinion,” Wembanyama said, per Jared Weiss.
Wembanyama has always taken pride in playing hard on both ends of the floor, getting to work, and letting his game do all the talking. That's why watching him take shots at anyone, be it his arch rival, still seemed a bit out of character.
Wembanyama knows the Spurs aren't in OKC's level yet
Even so, the French superstar didn't want to take anything away from the defending champions. While they beat them in the regular season, he knows that they still have plenty of work left to do to reach their level:
“I think we’re not quite there yet but it’s a good sign that people see that it’s possible," The former No. 1 pick admitted. "It’s not like we’re the second seed right now. I don’t think anybody right now can claim to have a rivalry with them in the league. They’re in their own tier, but in the future, provided that they stay just as good and we reach that level, of course it’d be great to have a rivalry. I’m very interested by it.”
The Thunder have only lost two games this season, but the Spurs also held their ground even when Wembanyama was out with an injury.
Whether they're ready to take them down in a seven-game series remains to be seen, but barring injuries, their matchups should be must-watch television for years to come.