Weird Wembanyama comments continue to flow from former Spurs rival

Having reservations about whether Victor Wembanyama will have a long, healthy career based on his size is one thing. Accusing him of being fragile right now is another, and that's basically what Ralph Sampson did recently at the Hall of Fame induction for the Olympic 2008 Redeem Team, where they also honored the late, great Kobe Bryant.

There's a thin line between expressing genuine concern from a player Wemby's size and being flat out weird about what the 7'4" alien is capable of health-wise. Sampson crossed that threshold with these comments, and I wish everyone would stop pearl-clutching when it comes to the Spurs' franchise center. There's no reason for it.

Wembanyama's health shouldn't be questioned until something happens

For the umpteenth time, DVT is not an injury. It's a medical ailment that can happen to just about anybody. It's a blood clot that, once taken care of early enough, isn't expected to arise again. Fortunately, the Spurs confirmed that they caught it before any long-term effects became a concern.

When you worry about guys with Vic's height getting injured, you usually worry about their feet, knees, and back. He hasn't had any of those problems thus far, so to claim that "his body is not ready for 82" is nothing but irresponsible speculation. And for the record, San Antonio was very intentional during Wemby's rookie season, often frustrating fans with how conservative they were being with his minutes.

Wembanyama averaged 29.7 minutes per game in his inaugural season in the NBA. Most of the time, when high draft picks join bad teams, which the Spurs were at the time, they play over 30 minutes a game. It even frustrated Vic, as he kept telling reporters that he felt fine and he wanted to be on the floor, but the organization is always going to operate with caution.

They even held him out of a couple of extra games when he did get a little banged up, when it wasn't necessary. It was the same thing. Vic told reporters that he was ready and willing to play, but the staff wanted to exercise caution. At the end of the year, he still ended up playing 71 games.

Sampson's career was cut short due to injuries to his knees. He wasn't even the same player in the last few years he was in the league because the ailments took some of his abilities away. Now he's projecting that experience onto Wembanyama. It's unnecessary. They are two different players in different eras with more advanced medical and training knowledge.

Until a real injury happens (knock on wood), there's no need to keep talking about him like he's going to break. It's infantilizing. This isn't the only time Ralph has said something crazy about Vic, either. It's like he's on some sort of campaign to undermine the greatness or hype of the young NBA star. Stop it.