Asked about the atmosphere in OKC, Victor Vembanyama pays tribute to the Portela crowd
As expected, the Spurs tried the playoffs against a Thunder team that was ultra motivated by the idea of overcoming three losses in a row. As in the playoffs, the public played a big role Thunder’s victoryetc Victor Vembanyama was targeted by fans. And he appreciates…
“That’s what makes us better. Much more than a team that would ignore me. It pushes me to improve.” he answers about public whistles against him. “But honestly, I don’t think it’s changed much from previous matches. They know what they’re doing, they just did it well. The crowd…yeah, there were some boos, but it was still fine.”
The worst? Panathinaikos
It was fine, but he still got a few insults… “Of course I hear boos. I heard ‘Fuck you…’ once, but it was isolated. All in all, it was fine with good sportsmanship.” he insists. “Sometimes it’s much worse in other rooms. It was especially louder when certain decisions went our way.”
Et “Wemby” to mention the case of much more hostile and noisy premises, such as that of… Panathinaikos, in Greece. “For me it’s Panathinaikos” responds when a journalist in the warmest environment. “When talking about a hostile atmosphere, I don’t think we could do it any worse. There are other rooms that are just as loud, but this one is by far the most impressive.”
Asked again about the differences between the atmosphere in Europe and the United States, the Spurs pivot even mentions France, with the case Portal. We better understand why making a “dig” in San Antonio is close to his heart.
“In Europe, some teams rely almost entirely on their fans. For example, there is a team in France, Le Portel, with incredible fans.” he concludes. “Every season they struggle to keep up, they don’t necessarily have the best team, but their energy, their culture, their momentum … it’s crazy. Without their fans, this team obviously wouldn’t be the same.”
2026-01-14 07:41:00
