Victor Wembanyama is not happy with the referees.
The San Antonio Spurs superstar appeared to reach his tipping point on Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Late in the third quarter, Ivica Zubac shoved Wembanyama as the two were running down the floor, sending the Frenchman to the floor in a heap.
Wembanyama then quickly got up to charge at Zubac before being restrained by teammates.
“It’s not even about Zubac,” Wembanyama said. “It’s just frustration, no matter who it was.”
The Clippers beat the Spurs, 128-116, as Wembanyama finished with 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, two steals and three blocks.
Wemby vs. Zubac
Wembanyama was very quick to say “no” when asked if he receives a fair whistle from officials.
Zubac’s shove was in retaliation to not getting a call when Harrison Barnes was ruled to have blocked his shot cleanly. Wembanyama also blocked a Zubac dunk attempt the Croatian felt there was contact on, which boiled over into the Clippers center shoving Wembanyama.
Zubac shoves Wemby who goes down, Wemby goes after Zubac but gets stopped by coach/teammates pic.twitter.com/rJDDw0VKsr
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) January 30, 2025
After the game, Zubac said he apologized to Wembanyama for letting his frustration get the better of him and the ensuing shove.
“I reacted a little,” Zubac said. “I thought I got fouled [on the previous play]. I was mad at the refs. So, then I was late [on Barnes’ 3-point shot]. I saw it going up. I saw Wemby crashing, so I knew I had to box him out. I bumped him a little harder. I let emotions take over a little bit, but I apologized to him.
“That’s not the way I want to be on the court and compete.”
Zubac himself had an impressive outing with 21 points and 22 rebounds.
Wemby Needs Politics To Get Calls?
Speaking postgame, Wembanyama admitted he’s already had discussions with the staff about the perceived lack of calls and what he could do differently to earn a better whistle.
“So, it’s a hard thing to fight, because it feels unfair sometimes,” Wembanyama said. “But of course, we talk about it with the staff and there is some stuff I have to do to help myself. First of all, being strong and not bailing out shots, but also there is some work to do. Talking to the refs, of course, explaining myself. But for me, it doesn’t feel like it’s something I should influence. I’m a basketball player, I’m here to play, and yeah, this is why it’s frustrating.
“It’s not my job to do politics.”
