"It affected him": The reason why Victor Wembanyama does not speak to the press

Victor Wembanyama is once again at the center of the conversation ahead of a new NBA season, although this time not for what he might do on the court. The San Antonio Spurs center has reportedly decided to be particularly selective with his media appearances, especially when questions relate to the recent NBA Finals.

It all started with a snippet from the podcast ‘Hoop Collective’, in which ESPN journalist Michael C. Wright explained that, according to the information he received, Wembanyama did not want to talk about what happened in the Finals and was keeping a very limited profile with the U.S. media.

"I’m hearing that Victor doesn’t want to discuss what happened in the Finals. He’s completely focused. In fact, I was told he hasn't spoken to any U.S. media except for 60 Minutes. I'm curious to see what 60 Minutes will do, but it affected him in some way," Wright explained.

The snippet began to circulate rapidly on social media and sparked headlines suggesting that Wembanyama was turning his back on the U.S. media. However, the full context of the podcast offered a much different interpretation.

Wembanyama did speak at Media Day

Just minutes after those statements, Brian Windhorst directly asked Wright whether Wembanyama planned to avoid journalists during the Spurs' Media Day or if he would attend the media as scheduled.

"I think so, he has no choice," Wright responded. "But I say that up until this point, he's totally focused. He doesn't want to talk about the Finals. He’s only talking to 60 Minutes, apparently. I don’t know what’s going on."

The distinction is important. Wembanyama was not shutting the door on the media for the entire season, but according to Wright's explanation, he had been particularly selective in the lead-up to the start of the campaign and did not want to engage in conversations about the Finals loss.

Additionally, the podcast had been recorded before the San Antonio Media Day, which took place on September 28. By the time the episode aired, Wembanyama had already participated in the Media Day itself and had spoken with different groups of journalists.

Wright himself later clarified on social media the meaning of his remarks, making it clear that he was not asserting that Wembanyama would isolate himself from U.S. media for the entire season.

The goal: to turn the page on the Finals

The situation seems to be primarily related to what happened in the last Finals. The Spurs held double-digit leads during all the games in their series against the New York Knicks but ended up losing 4-1.

Some mistakes by Wembanyama played a significant role in several of San Antonio’s collapses during the series, so it is understandable that the player prefers to focus on the new season rather than continuously revisiting what happened in June.

His strategy would have been to reserve that topic for an interview with 60 Minutes, rather than addressing it repeatedly during his journalist appearances.

That does not mean Wembanyama will forever avoid questions about the Finals. In fact, journalists may ask him about that series again when the opportunity arises. The difference is that the player seems to have decided not to allocate much space to that chapter and focus on what’s ahead.

And there will be few opportunities to escape those questions. The Spurs will face the Knicks again at Madison Square Garden on Christmas Day, a setting where the memory of that series will inevitably resurface.

For now, therefore, the story is much less extreme than what the initial headlines suggested: Wembanyama is not shutting the door on the U.S. media, but he has been selective about discussing the Finals and seems determined to turn the page.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, "Le afectó": La razón por la que Victor Wembanyama no habla con la prensa