Some of Victor Wembanyama’s actions in this year’s playoffs have led people to think of him as a dirty player, but former NBA champion Matt Barnes thinks otherwise.
Wimby became somewhat of a hero in the NBA for his basketball ethics, but we saw another side of him, especially during the Knicks series.
He committed some very dangerous fouls, most notably one on Jalen Brunson where he elbowed him in the throat.
He also skipped media interviews after the loss and didn’t sway the Knicks when they won.
Yet Barnes sided with the French phenomenon.
“People have been mean to him this year,” Barnes said of Wembunyama on All The Smoke. “I just think he’s gotten to a point where the season is over and I’m exhausted… If you’re going to be mean to me, I’m going to elbow you in the face, I’m going to elbow Brunson. I want the same for my superstars.”
But let’s not forget that Wembanyama are European and the style of basketball there is very physical, which pushes Barnes’ argument even further.
“[Wembanyama] He’s been an NBA darling since he’s been in the league,” Barnes said. “Then the playoffs come and it’s almost like some media flipped the whole image and tried to amplify all the things he’s done and hasn’t done.
“Then I heard he didn’t shake hands after the game. Wenby is an emotional guy.”
He added, “Womby’s been candid. If we go back, he’s doing other things now. I think there might be some barriers between him coming from somewhere else and what we expect in our culture from superstars to be about how they should move and what they should and shouldn’t do. But I don’t think he’s ultimately skeptical of any of that.”
READ MORE: Record number of police officers planned for Knicks parade
