Victor Wembanyama's NBA enemy list is getting ridiculous

Victor Wembanyama has genuine beef in four different NBA cities, and three of those outbreaks trace back to the same root cause: someone got physical with him, and he got physical back. That's a nasty pattern of behavior on their part if you ask me. But at this point, it doesn't really matter. This is par for the course when you're this great.

It's still funny to trace the elements that led to the spread, though.

Wembanyama's beef somehow spread from Houston to New York

Most of us remember where we were when the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery took place. Every team's fan base that had a shot at drafting Wembanyama was locked into which way those precious little ping-pong balls fell. When the Rockets were eliminated, Vic celebrated, and it was caught on camera; Houston fans have hated him ever since.

Somewhat related, but also unrelated... enjoy this beautiful moment from that night again.

Things were pretty contained after that. Most people loved Wemby. It was fun watching the big 7'4" French guy blocking everything, dunking from zip codes away, and knocking down threes. And then (the Fire Nation attacked—IYKYK), the Spurs made the playoffs, and everything changed as the virus began to spread.

Minnesota was next in line. An elbow to Naz Reid got Wembanyama ejected, but he wasn't suspended. That decision only further enraged a Timberwolves fan base that seemed to believe Vic got his Ludacris on for no reason. They're still mad about it.

In reality, Vic's 'bow was a response to the rampant abuse he was taking at the hands of Minny's players. But as they say, it's no fun when the rabbit has the gun, I suppose.

OKC caught it after that, but this one is worth an additional acknowledgment. There was already a disdain between Wemby and Chet Holmgren as the Spurs-Thunder beef simmered for years, but Oklahoma City fans specifically didn't truly turn on Victor until that series. They also tried to paint him as dirty or, even worse, a flopper in some weird "I know you are, but what am I?" attempt.

There's nothing to debate here. He was, again, responding to some of the most egregious, borderline-dirty physicality we saw during the postseason. They grabbed his limbs, pushed him needlessly, and even stepped on his feet intentionally. It was ridiculous. So, Spurs fans don't want to hear their whining.

Finally, we land in New York. They caught it last and might have it the worst. It's the freshest strain going around. Wembanyama shoved their beloved Jalen Brunson's head during the Finals, and Knicks fans haven't let it go.

It's a convenient way to ignore how many times he was held, yanked, and hit in the ribs during the series. But these people want to be the bullies and don't like when the same energy is returned to sender.

Wembanyama doesn't need the NBA to like him

Michael Jordan had haters. LeBron James has haters. Stephen Curry has haters. Nobody gets to be this great without a chunk of the league actively rooting against them. It's inevitable once you're good enough to matter at this scale. Thankfully, Wemby doesn't care to fight the diagnosis.

He basically said as much recently, admitting the hate doesn't bother him. The Alien wants to be great, not liked, and Spurs Nation is fully strapped in for that version of the franchise leader.

San Antonio doesn't need the league to love him. There's another love in the Alamo City and around this global fan base to keep him plenty warm. We need him to keep being this competitive, this physical, and this unwilling to back down. The rest of it is just noise that means he's doing something right.

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