SAN ANTONIO – After federal officers shot and killed two people in Minnesota, San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama offered his reaction to the shootings after practice Tuesday afternoon.
“You know, (San Antonio Spurs) PR (public relations) has tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give some politically correct (statement), you know?” Wembanyama said. “Every day, I wake up and see the news, and I’m horrified. I think that it’s crazy that some people make it seem like, or make it sound like, the murder of civilians is acceptable, you know? I read the news, and sometimes, I’m asking very deep questions about my own life.”
On Jan. 7, an officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shot and killed Renee Good, 37, while she was in her car in a Minneapolis neighborhood. Good’s death sparked anti-ICE protests nationwide, including one in downtown San Antonio.
Over the weekend, on Jan. 24, a U.S. Border Patrol officer shot Alex Jeffery Pretti in Minneapolis. Pretti, an intensive care nurse at a Veterans Affairs officer, was 37. Both Good and Pretti were U.S. citizens.
U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem has said both shootings were in self-defense.
“I’m conscious also that saying everything, you know, that’s on my mind will have a cost that’s too great for me right now,” Wembanyama said. “So I’d rather not get into too many details.”
Wembanyama arrived in San Antonio from his native France in 2023. He was the No. 1 overall pick in that year’s NBA Draft.
“I know I’m a foreigner,” Wembanyama said. “You know, I live in this country. I am concerned for sure.”
The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the union that represents current NBA players like Wembanyama, released a statement Sunday. The union said, in part, that it “must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.”
“The fraternity of NBA players, like the United States itself, is a community enriched by its global citizens, and we refuse to let the flames of division threaten the civil liberties that are meant to protect us all,” the NBPA’s statement continued.
“I’m always proud of, you know, people speaking their minds, no matter the subject,” Wembanyama said. “It definitely takes some balls. ... Each and everyone of us has to decide the price you’re willing to pay.”
Wembanyama and the Spurs will return to the court against the Houston Rockets at 8:30 p.m. Wednesday in Houston. Wednesday’s game will air nationally on ESPN.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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