Victor Wembanyama is close to earning a label he doesn't deserve

Every star player in the NBA thinks they're the best player in the league. If athletes were forced to be honest, I believe we'd all be shocked at how highly they think of themselves and how drastically their opinions differ from the public's opinion of them. That's not a bad thing, to be fair — a bit of delusion is required to reach this level of success.

The difference between most of those stars and Victor Wembanyama is twofold. For one, Wemby is incredibly honest about how he views himself and what he wants to accomplish. He's implied that he should be the "face of the league," and he recently said that he's "...Taking great care of my body cause I also want to win the MVP, and the DPOY." It's a breath of fresh air to hear a superstar be so blunt about they player they are and the player they want to be.

Secondly, Wemby actually is tracking to become the best player in the league (and very quickly). Thus, when he makes statements like this, they're coming from a place of honesty and confidence — not arrogance, which is a label he's likely to receive as he continues to grow in fame and skill.

Victor Wembanyama's confidence will be mistaken for arrogance

It happens with teams when they win too much, and it happens with players when they reach a certain level of accomplishment; the same traits that made them likeable in the beginning become the main weapon used against them in the discourse wars.

Take the Oklahoma City Thunder — their group postgame interviews, carefree nature, and the seeming nonchalance with how they obliterate NBA teams endeared them to the basketball world at first... And now it feels like general fans are starting to turn on them as they just keep winning.

Wembanyama's honesty might force him into a similar path — but I hope that doesn't change him at all. Part of what makes Wemby so special is his willingness to say what he's thinking and not give the typical media-trained, run-of-the-mill answers laced with fake humbleness. The gentlemen at The Hoop Collective podcast called Wembanyama arrogant (but clearly out of respect, to be fair). If Wemby continues to progress as a player the way we all think he will, the way in which folks view Wemby's honesty will change. It won't be fair, but that's the way things go in the NBA.