Victor Wembanyama breaks his silence on the Minneapolis shooting

Thanks to head coach Gregg Popovich, San Antonio Spurs they have been on for a long time leading the pronunciation against injustices in the United States and even abroad. Since Popovich retired last season due to health issues, fans have been looking for players with an NBA platform to voice the same concerns, and it looks like they just found one.

Victor VembanyamaThe 22-year-old center from France was not shy expressing their opinions to anything he asked him about, and made sure to do it again on Tuesday afternoon.

After Spurs practice, Wembanyama met with members of the media and was asked about the recent shooting of two civilians in Minneapolis. After taking a few seconds to gather the words that would make up his true feelings, Vembanyama began to speak.

“PR tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give a politically correct (answer)” Victor Vembanyama said. “Every day I watch the news and I’m horrified. I think it’s crazy that some people do this or that it sounds like it’s acceptable, like killing civilians is acceptable. I read the news and sometimes I ask very deep questions about my own life. I’m also aware that whatever comes to mind won’t be too much for me, so it won’t be too fine” a lot of details.”

When asked more about whether his concern lies in the fact that he is a foreigner in the United States, Vembanyama said yes.

“It’s terrible,” Vembanyama said. “I know I’m a foreigner, but I live in this country and I’m worried.”

Victor Vembanyama’s full comments today on the shooting of another civilian by federal agents in Minneapolis:

“PR tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give some politically correct (answer). I watch the news every day and I’m horrified. I think it’s crazy that some people… pic.twitter.com/IpkUbP1E6D

— Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) January 27, 2026

Two things mainly stand out from Vembanyama’s comments this morning. The first is how he began his answer. “PR tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give a politically correct answer. Are teams or the NBA as a league encouraging players not to speak out against the recent shootings in Minneapolis, or at least not go into the details of what’s going on?”

Second, “I’m conscious of saying that anything that’s on my mind right now is going to cost me too much, so I’d rather not go into too much detail.” Vembanjama has never been afraid to speak up and didn’t hold back much here, but it was fascinating to think that he has so much more to say but can’t for fear of the repercussions he or his brand will have as the future face of the NBA.

The league hasn’t seen many players speak out so far, but Tyrese Halliburton of the Indiana Pacers and Gershon Jabusel of the New York Knicks were among the players who spoke out.

Alec Pretty was killed.

— Tyrese Haliburton (@Halley) January 25, 2026

I can’t stop thinking about the tragic events unfolding in Minnesota, and even though I’m French, I can’t stay silent. What is happening is beyond comprehension. We are talking about murders here, they are serious matters. The situation must change, the government must stop…

— Guerschon Iabusele (@iabusele28) January 26, 2026

Now in his third year in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama has dominated in limited time. Through his first 32 games played, Vembanyama is only averaging just 28.9 minutes per game as he navigates his recent injury history. But in nearly five minutes less per game this season, his numbers are nearly identical to what he averaged last season.

At 31-15, the Spurs are currently tied with the Denver Nuggets for the second seed in the Western Conference and trail only the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have a 37-10 record.