Victor Wembanyama drops a blunt after the All-Stars’ starting nod

In his first game after the selected as a starter for the NBA All-Star Game for the first time in his young career, Victor Vembanyama had 33 points, 10 rebounds, two blocks and two steals in less than 27 minutes at 123-110 San Antonio Spurs victory over the Utah Jazz.

Not long after Wemby learned of its beginningnews leaked that the 22-year-old phenom narrowly missed out Anthony Edwards for the final spot among Western Conference players. The Minnesota Timberwolves superstar received more player votes than Wembanyama, who received more media votes than Edwards. This meant that the fan vote showed a decisive result, with Vembanyama beating “Ant” 4,505 votes.

With that information in the public eye, the Spurs’ leading scorer went to work early against the Jazz, hitting three 3-pointers in the game’s first six minutes, five in the first half and seven on the day. He finished the first 24 minutes of the contest with 21 points and seven rebounds to do most of the damage in what turned out to be San Antonio’s third straight win.

ClutchPoints asked the generational talent if — much like some players put on big games after All-Star ‘snubbs’ — he posted his impressive numbers for his first starting NBA All-Star nod, especially given the specifics of the voting.

“No, not at all. No, no, no,” Vembanyama declared. “I have a lot more commitments with my team, you know. So I didn’t think about it at all.”

“I have a lot more responsibilities with my team… I don’t think about it at all”⬇

– Asked Vick about it – much like players have big games after All-Star ‘snubs’ – he went 33, 10 and 2 in response to his first #NBAAllStar starting nod. Especially considering the closeness of the vote#Spurs pic.twitter.com/aDOVRC4DC1

— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) January 20, 2026

Victor Wembanyama reacts to the NBA All-Star’s first kickoff

If All-Star motivation wasn’t the driving force behind Vembanyama’s big night, perhaps circumstance was. Although he’s averaging fewer than five 3-point attempts per game this season, the 7-foot-5 big man had 12, nine in the first half, against Utah.

“It’s a game-by-game thing,” Wemby said of the volume at which he shoots from beyond the arc. “But also, I keep seeing trends throughout the season, like periods where teams will guard differently. And maybe, just maybe, teams were willing to put me on the 3-point line more.”

“But I could see (on) my pick-and-rolls today, they were going down. I still can, you know. I’m happy to have the ability to impact the game in different areas, and I’m ready to play any role. But it’s going to be periods of time. I might not try the three for the next three games. It could happen, but I can’t think anything will happen.”

The The 75th NBA All-Star Game will mark Vembanyama’s second appearance in the NBA Classic. While many, including him, expect him to play and start a lot more, that didn’t affect the feeling when I first heard his name as a starter.

“I was glad, I was happy. I wasn’t sure my name would be up there,” Vembanyama said. “So it’s great. It’s just another step. I was really happy to find out that I’m the first Frenchman to get it. I’m proud of this.”