As a newcomer in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama is still familiarizing himself with the ins and outs of the league. This includes understanding the boundaries of what can and cannot be said on live television.
During the NBA’s All-Star weekend broadcast, the San Antonio Spurs center joined the Inside the NBA crew on TNT for an interview. It was during this conversation that Wembanyama casually let slip an expletive.
The incident occurred when Ernie Johnson asked Wembanyama to provide an example of head coach Gregg Popovich’s demanding coaching style during his rookie year.
The 20-year-old proceeded to recount a film session with Popovich earlier in the season. In front of the entire team, Popovich pointed out a mistake that Wembanyama had made.
“On occasion, he attempts to convey messages,” Wembanyama stated. “I distinctly recall, about two or three months into the season, we were in a film session with everyone present, and he exclaimed, ‘What the heck is this? This is what you were doing on day one.’ … So yes, he does send messages like that sometimes.”
To be fair, Wembanyama was simply responding to a question posed by the crew.
Although the expletive made it onto the live broadcast, the crew members, including Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, and Kenny Smith, all took it in good humor and laughed it off.
Standing at an impressive height of 7 feet 4 inches, Wembanyama was selected as the first overall pick in last year’s draft. He was in Indianapolis as part of the NBA’s annual skills challenge and also participated in the Rising Stars game on Friday.
According to the Source outkick.com