The NBA Finals have been very entertaining through the first three games of the series. But much of the talk has not been about what happened on the court; instead, it has focused on Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and his actions during the national anthem.
Wembanyama hails from France, so the U.S. national anthem may not hold much meaning for him; however, as a basketball player in this country, it is a matter of respect to stand for the anthem before each game.
Jason Whitlock Calls Out Victor Wembanyama for National Anthem Antics
Yet, it appears Wembanyama is looking to make a statement by doing something different before each game. Sports analyst Jason Whitlock discussed Wembanyama’s actions on his podcast and also sent out a controversial tweet about him.
Whitlock has been paying attention to what Wembanyama has done during the national anthem before each game. He mentioned before Game 1 that Wembanyama stood there with his arms crossed.
Then, before Game 2, Wembanyama seemed to have prayed during the anthem. Whitlock also sent out a post calling Wembanyama a “punk” after allegedly not appearing on the court for the Game 3 national anthem.
Victor Wembanyama is the most protected player in NBA history. He skipped the national anthem before Game 3. ESPN ignored it. The league declined to assess a flagrant foul for his shove of Jalen Brunson. Wemby = Colin Kaepernick. pic.twitter.com/98oJm792dx
— Jason Whitlock (@jasonwhitlock) June 10, 2026
On his podcast, “Fearless with Jason Whitlock,” he said, “This guy [Wembanyama] is the most coddled and pampered athlete perhaps in NBA history, maybe in sports history. He’s getting the Colin Kaepernick treatment; he can do no wrong.”
As many remember, Colin Kaepernick was the first player to kneel during the national anthem in 2016, and it seemed to take over the NFL and the sports world alike. However, the coverage of Kaepernick’s anthem choices was much more extensive than that of Wembanyama’s.
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Whitlock went on to discuss how mainstream networks are covering none of Wembanyama’s actions. ABC (which is covering the Finals) seemingly did not show the entire Spurs team standing for the anthem in an attempt to protect Wembanyama. However, there have been no statements made by the Spurs big man stating he is trying to make a political statement.
Whitlock continued by saying that the NBA is seemingly not officiating Wembanyama properly. He pointed to the play in Game 3 where Wemby clearly shoves the head of Knicks star Jalen Brunson, and nothing was called. “When he shoved Jalen Brunson to the ground, a clear flagrant foul, unnecessary contact about the shoulders, and the NBA said ‘nope, no flagrant foul here, nothing to see here.'”
With Game 4 set for Wednesday night, it will be interesting to see what Wembanyama does during the national anthem. While his antics have not been widely discussed in the first three games, they seem to be gaining steam in the media, which could influence his actions.
