Wembanyama delivers powerful message with bold quote after All-Star Weekend

Victor Wembanyama is taking charge after playing in the 2025 NBA All-Star Tournament—the first of its kind. While there were a ton of negative reactions to the format based on how much basketball was played compared to the circus surrounding the game, the players played with more effort. That was the reason the league changed the style of their prestigious game, and it worked with a little help.

Wemby entered the weekend with a different mindset than most. His mantra became, "I'm not here to make friends," and I'm okay with that. I actually prefer it. Vic has laser focus, and he understands the responsibility of the athlete to the fans. So, he wants to win, and he wants to put on a show. So, put on a show he did, and, after the game, he had a message that must be received by his fellow All-Stars.

My favorite part is when he says, "For me, it's the only way to play basketball." That's what the other players need to understand because when has it ever been okay not to care about competition? When you line up against the other side and the ball is tipped off, the goal should be to win at all costs. That means playing hard and playing defense.

Wembanyama can bring the fire back to the All-Star Game

Now that we've seen the players give effort on All-Star Sunday, the NBA can go back to East vs. West. I'm even willing to consider a Team World vs. Team America game. The tournament idea, however, can go back to the trash heap. Let the new generation lead the charge in bringing the effort back to the league's premier event of the season.

Fans want to see the best play hard against the best. That's it. There was too much nonsense going on that didn't involve any real basketball being played. That's not what basketball fans want, and that should be obvious. That's not what Wembanyama wants either, and he's going to be the face of the NBA. Trust in the guy who reads a book before every game, including All-Star games, apparently.

Players still have a lot of pride, so when Wemby is throwing their shots into the stands and dunking on them with ferocity, they'll step up to the plate if they were slacking. They may not be slacking and still have that happen to them, so that's just something they'll have to live with, but at least we know that they'll try to get him back.

And they'll succeed sometimes, because these are the best players in the world. Watching the back and forth with these guys gives fans an elite level of basketball they don't often get a chance to see. We've been cheated by their lack of interest for years, but it's a new day, and Victor Wembanyama is here to enact change to that trend.