“Right now in my mind is taking great care of my body cause I also want to win the MVP, and the DPOY. So I’m trying to press the gas from now until the end of the season” - Wembanyama
im glad he actually said he wants to win mvp and dpoy
never understood y ppl act like stars wanting these awards r selfish or watever
It’s a lot of dudes eating chips on their couch saying “ya know if I was in their shoes, I’d be way more nonchalant about this whole thing”
i love this
well im actually eating cookies and sitting on a chair right now so jokes on you
I’m sitting on my couch and just finished eating a baked potatoe.
Now I’m gonna casually stroll over to my chair and sit in that, out of spite. I did all this was nonchalantly bragging about it. Give me mvp.
what is potatoe
Dan Quayle’s favorite tuber
Which is weird because I find the nonchalant gimmicks to be much less relatable and likeable than the guys who openly have aspirations. Give me the guys who love this shit all day over the guys who are just happy about the paycheck
I hate a “act like you’ve been there before” mf when they’ve literally never been there before
It’s my hobby, why you gotta belittle it??
it’s usually the players who act like they don’t care
If he respected Kobe he wouldn’t try to win an MVP
Ethical mvps
whos that? i have no idea who that is
the guy under Bam “the momba” Adebayo on that one scoring list
the momba is amazing
A beloved rapist.
It’s a delicious beef!
If 2023 Embiid said this these comments would go crazy. Literally flirting vs harrasment
The thing about that race that people ignore is that jokic, embiid and Giannis all put up legitimate MVP seasons all in the same season. People just hate on embiid because he complained about getting overlooked and Perkins making it about race. It doesn’t help embiid is a troll and who’s playstyle rubs people the wrong way.
Yeah Perkins take brought unnecessary ire towards Embiid. But in season Embiid was putting up some crazy performances and amazing games. He was shooting so well that year. Caught the game agaisnt hornets near my birthday and he balled outrageous
I’m saying lmao, when Embiid said he wanted the MVP, people hated it
Tbf, there’s a very clear difference between saying “I’ll try to win MVP” and this:
Last year, I came back, I played enough games, I led the league in scoring, and obviously, Nikola deserved it and he won it. But then again, he won as a sixth seed in the West. And then this year, I’m leading the league in scoring, I’m doing all of these things defensively That’s when analytics don’t make sense at all. I don’t make the rules, I don’t choose whatever criteria that they use, so it’s really about whatever people’s preferences are. People always thought that I was crazy when I said this — I really believe that I’m not well-liked.
Last year, I came back, I played enough games, I led the league in scoring, and obviously, Nikola deserved it and he won it. But then again, he won as a sixth seed in the West. And then this year, I’m leading the league in scoring, I’m doing all of these things defensively
That’s when analytics don’t make sense at all. I don’t make the rules, I don’t choose whatever criteria that they use, so it’s really about whatever people’s preferences are. People always thought that I was crazy when I said this — I really believe that I’m not well-liked.
source
Right, I don’t see Wemby throwing shade at SGA or Jokic to prop up his case. Or complaining about some imaginary unfairness that keeps him from winning the award.
Think he just had a bad way with words.
When he said things like “what else can i do?” and “i feel like they hate me”. It was just a bad look.
This clip Wemby just says he wants to win it
Same thing with Pat Bev celebrating a play-in game vs Wemby crying over a regular season game.
Likability is everything and leads to so many double standards
I remember people were shitting on gobert when he was crying over not making all-star. They also shit on players who don’t work hard like ayton. Players have to care, but not care too much. Fucking dumb.
People only like it when it comes from people they like.
Usually mvp also means your team is performing very well so while it’s still an individual award, it points towards overall success.
Caring is cool!
It’s like Bam said this week: if I’m this close to getting it, why the hell wouldn’t I go for it
Anytime I’ve been in any athletic league or even e-sports leagues I’ve played in I’ve always wanted to win personal awards alongside winning games. Never understood why people shame famous athletes for it. We’re all the same in the sense for wanting personal achievement to be proud of
Same. I get tired of stars who are like “oh I don’t care about individual awards, I just want to win.” Obviously putting your stats over winning is bad but nothing wrong with wanting both!
Ego. It’s all ego.
No matter how arrogant superstars can be across sports, few have the confidence to admit they care about something when they know there’s a chance they won’t get it.
Absolutely agree. I think this is also a welby self motivation thing. If he doesn’t get it it will be just another log for the fire
Not caring is cool, I guess.
Who has ever said that? Lol
The league is completely fucked lol. This guys attitude towards the game is the stuff you see in all time greats. not sure about this year, but going forward MVP and DPOYs will run through Wemby. Unreal talent.
There’s a reason why a lot of people believed the only thing stopping Wemby from being a top 10 player ever is just health.
And obviously team building but yeah
Unfortunately for the rest of us he got drafted to one of the best team building organizations in sports lol
And I can’t lie, we’ve been dummy lucky with our draft picks since Wemby too lol
Yeah Spurs have drafted great with Castle, Harper, Vassel have all been great. We’ll forget Joshua Primo for now
I member him still
Keldon has been great too with a renaissance season.
tbf we got champagnie and barnes for the fat price of literally nothing
I swear everytime Keldon Johnson plays my team he just drives, muscles his way through a defender, takes the bump and scores. It like when I see him take that first step I want to fast forward because “I’ve already seen this episode.”
How good is Spurs at drafting historically? Incredible is the answer.
David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Kawhi, Tony Parker. We can basically include Manu too.
So good at drafting that y’all had 15 years where y’all ran the league.
That doesn’t even factor in guys like Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, George Hill, Tiago Splitter, Dejuan Blair, Kyle Anderson and more who we turned into legitimate rotation players from low-FRPs or later, or guys like Danny Green, Gary Neal, Jonathon Simmons and more who we picked up off the scrap heap and made serious rotation players (less draft and more talent ID/development).
More just pointing out, I can’t lie that the Spurs have had more than their fair share of draft luck the last few years, but we’ve also made the most of our drafts historically and have done so again with our recent run of luck.
Yep. Even though it’s not logical, Wemby’s ring count will have a massive influence on where he ends in the all time rankings in the public eye
Depends on his first team all nba, MVP, and DPOY tally.
Jokic only has one, after all
I don’t think many people would consider Jokic a top-10 player all time.
Not top 10 but top 15 absolutely.
That’s why I mention spot as well. If wemby racks up accolades on both sides of the court I wouldn’t be surprised if he got consideration for top 10 with 2 rings and FMVP
Top 15 with a single ring wasn’t uncommon until recently. Dirk, West, KG, some even made cases for ringless stars like Malone and Chuck. The entry of Curry and Durant followed by Jokic and Giannis have made it so that there are now 13 players in the top 10 and 19 in the top 15.
Thank god the Spurs won the lotto that year. Any other team and he wouldn’t be where he is today.
They know how to transform bigmen into biggermen.
Churros.
Even a blind gm can build around Wemby.
His floor is a stretch DPOY, a one man zone.
This is a bad attitude because it disregards a star player’s impact on his teammates. Ya’ll seem to think the only way a player can win anything is if he has a team stacked with already established All NBA level players…stars who were developed elsewhere and were traded for to form superteams or whatever. Why can’t a star player help develop his younger teammates into that level of player? People underestimate the influence star players have on their rookies. You can either step back and let them develop on their own or you can step in and impart your own wisdom, knowledge and work ethic to make them even better than they would be without you. Not every team is built from player collusion, talking already established superstars into teaming up with you.
Team success is going to be huge too. Look at jokic
Without a doubt, one of the five most talented players to ever play the game. But if he retired right this moment, a lot of people wouldn’t put him top 10 because he simply hasn’t won enough championships
Fair or not, it’s a huge disqualifier for most of the sports community to put you in that rarefied air if you don’t have at least three
Wemby impacts the defensive end way more than Jokic. He can impact winning in a different way
Wemby has a legit shot at being THE GOAT if healthy. As long as he doesn’t have any injuries start setting him back top 10 is the absolute floor.
At this point I think health might be legitimately the only thing stopping him from being the GOAT.
We’ve literally never seen anyone like him before, might very well never will for a LONG time.
Jesus christ lmao. How does this have upvotes? He hasn’t played a single minute of playoff basketball let alone won any awards and people like you put him in the GOAT conversation already. Some of you are insane people
And he has been injured half of his short career lol.
at this point DPOY every year is just gonna be “did wemby play 65 games?”
unless voters get reallllll fatigued lol
bro. it is funny because twitter is already talking about voters fatigue and he hasn’t even win yet.
“we all know he’s gonna win 10x so let’s give it to chet” and the guy hasn’t won any yet
You kinda hope it goes like 3x dpoy the next year Wemby plays ~60 games to gift it to someone else and then 3x dpoy again
What a legacy that would be
They will, they always do.
And this sub will turn on him too.
I’m hoping they get rid of this 65 game nonsense
After watching Yao I just worry about his health long-term. He’s not playing year-round like Yao, and he’s not 310 lbs like Yao, so I’m more optimistic. I just have some PTSD about a super tall guy playing big minutes
I really think sport science, nutrition and experience of the league in general have improved so much since Yao’s time. Just look at how Wemby streches, he’s probably been doing that since he was 10 years old
Wemby has a very scientific approach to his own health and injury management. They’ve been warning him of this since he was a child growing more rapidly than others. Both his parents are too tier athletes as well, and have built a group of professionals around him specifically for injury prevention. He brings it up all the time.
He should be able to avoid almost all minor injuries and if lucky, avoid anything major for most of his career.
What about his career so far makes you think he’ll avoid medical issues throughout his career
Every NBA player goes through at least 1 major injury. It’s just a matter of time . It happens to everyone.
lol what kind of prediction is that? There is no way you can be even remotely confident of that happening…
Being in the west sucks so bad
His greed delights me. Get everything.
Single-handedly making me rethink the fr*nch as whole
Nah dont do that.
They behead their leaders, when they dont like em
Nah bro, French are smug but they are very big on ideas and mentality. Thiery Henry is such an insightful analyst in soccer. Eric cantona is cool af too. And they always have great quotes and perspective. I just never met a French person so I’m bias. I’m sure that smugness and directness can be rude for Americans or other Anglo speakers. I had an online buddy that I played rocket league with from Spain, and he said that the French were a holes lol
Most young French people I’ve met are chill AF, Wemby is kind of like them honestly.
Thierry Henry is an idol of mine, and being from Marseille I love Cantona. My best friend is his son’s best friend.
But the French generally have an awful mentality. Complainers. Pessimists. Rude.
There are exceptions. But generally those are core traits
Whoa whoa whoa now let’s not go too far.
Victor Gargantuama
I like seeing players go for awards tbh, adds a bit of that competitive edge. SGA is probably too far ahead to catch atm (especially with the games played difference) but every time I watch wemby I wonder if he’s the best per minute player in the league.
He’s by far the best defensive player out of that top group of guys, and his offense is getting better and better. Next year’s MVP is his if he’s healthy for sure
SGA has 3 more games than wemby so far… definitely think SGA is still the leader, but wemby can win if the Spurs win the west.
Yeah. If Wemby wins the west, then it’d be advantage Wemby imo just because the Spurs beat OKC multiple times, but it’d still be essentially 50⁄50.
4
count wemby’s games again. also, if you include the cup finals, it’s only 2 games.
Yeah, unfortunately I think the only way Wemby has a shot at MVP is if Thunder fall into a rut and we somehow clutch the 1-seed which is unlikely
However DPOY is automatic if he meets the game requirements so I hope for his sake he can make it
Spurs having the best record is a necessary but by no means sufficient condition for Wemby winning MVP. I don’t think he has a realistic chance even if Spurs claim the first seed. As great as Wemby has been SGA has been materially better as shown by all impact and efficiency metrics. It’s not close. Jokic has a much better case than Wemby.
In no way am I taking away from Jokic. He’s the best or second best player in basketball right now. But he has not been the same killer since he came back from injury. I hope he’s back to himself for the playoffs.
OKC have a harder schedule but a 3 game gap is pretty big at this point in a season. Especially if Shai’s gonna continue hitting every clutch jumpshot. DPOY should be automatic for wemby for the next decade lol, health permitting
I remember when Harden said he wanted MVP and people reacted a lot different lol. It’s not crazy for someone at the top of their profession to want some individual recognition while also helping their team win games
Jokic and Shai are still too good. it’s not really his next season. but a race between them 3 for sure
He’s going to be the goat if his body holds up, almost any year he plays 65 games he’ll be the MVP and DPOY
Slow down lol he needs to win 3+ rings first before any GOAT conversation.
4 as the number one option is the minimum. That’s what LeBron did. And even then it realistically won’t be enough. LeBron has 4 very strong rings as the first option + 6 finals runs (with a few being hard carries) + best longevity ever + arguable highest peak ever (with Jordan), but most people still have him at #2 (which is fair).
And then obviously Jordan has 6.
The NBA needs more players like him. I knew Wemby was going to be instantly good in the NBA the first time I ever saw a video of him. His talent is undeniable.
However, I had no idea he was such a fierce competitor. Dude has that dog in him.
Like Kobe and MJ levels of discipline and drive. Legit psychopaths all of them
The difference is off the court Wemby is incredibly chill. I know there’s a story of him just showing up to a basketball court with a kid and playing horse with him. Plus he loves chess and sci-fi books.
Wemby just takes the game seriously and has a pro mentality. He definitely Isn’t doing any Mamba mentality type shit like getting into fights with his teammates
Good because quite frankly a lot of the mamba mentality crap is psychotic ego bullshit and machismo. Wemby showing you can be competitive and at the top of the game without being a jackass is probably my favorite part of him.
I just call Wemby’s mentality as Alien mentality, it’s the upgraded version of that mamba shit, this one has the love for teammates and wants them to succeed in their greatness as well
He has drive but also emotional maturity, which I don’t think MJ or Kobe ever showed they had. It was a raw edge of competitiveness but Wemby seems to have refined his edge
Bro is 22. Insane levels of maturity for a 22 year old.
He seemed to show up as a rookie with the mindset of a 15+ year vet. Watching him grow has been unreal. I fear what he might become in the next few years but I also feel so lucky to get to watch him play his whole career.
He’s just that kind of guy. He clearly was raised well by his parents (his mother is a basketball coach btw), but he’s also someone who knows when to have fun and when to take things seriously (while also clearly just being smart in general)
He is becoming a perfect face of the league. I think the league is afraid to back him after Zion but he has it all. Great player on an ascending young team. He’s always trying to compete but seems like a great guy off the court and he seems to have real beef with Chet on the court. If Wemby vs. Chet can be a big part of future Spurs Thunder matchups, like the WCF, I think that can generate a lot of interest. Just have to see those guys go at each other.
It’s crazy how Kobe and Jordan are seen as the pinnacle of driven winners over guys like Duncan and Bill Russell.
Kobe and Jordan both lost years of their career wanting to win on their own terms when Duncan and Russell were dedicated to doing whatever it took to win from the moment they entered the league.
I see all this and I think yes, this man might be very good at basketball. But did he score 83? I think not. So the real question here is, how does this affect Kobe Bryant’s legacy?
Stephen A Smith? Is that you?
Curse you for mentioning him, but I am on board with the shaming of his name.
“HE DOES NOT RESPECT KOBE. HE HASN’T WON A RING. HE’S A 7’5 FRAUD.”
Brave of you
“Coming up on First Take”
Just an absolute gamer
OP has left out the first bit where he wants to win the title… that was clearly his priority, followed by “and I want to get the awards”
Sga is winning mvp this season maybe next season wemby could win
Yeap not his year as realistically Spurs won’t get the #1 seed.
If he’s healthy next year he’ll probably almost certainly win it if SGA goes B2B MVP.
So you think he wins if we can snag the #1 seed?
I think it would be massive boon
I agree, he doesn’t win unless we get that first seed. And even then, SGA is still the favourite, so we’d have to see.
I just love seeing OKC fans acknowledge that Wemby is on that level now.
I think if he gets the 1 seed he’ll win MVP (even though I don’t think he’ll deserve it over SGA).
Rachel Nichols admitted on a podcast that some voters already have a bias against SGA for the “foul baiting” noise that’s spread like wildfire.
Wemby would have the head to head matchups going for him and he would have the better record while the team wasn’t expected to be the 2nd seed even though they’re really talented.
Unless SGA and OKC look historically good next year, its anyone but his next year. Too much voter fatigue and narratives against him.
Anyone who doesn’t acknowledge Wemby’s on that level and is likely going to be on that level for years as long as he’s healthy atp is just in denial lol
He doesn’t beat Shai this season imo especially because Shai carried us early on the season while everyone had health issues, and Wemby has been on limited minutes and less games. Next season tho, with him coming in playing at the level he’s at? SGA, Jokic, etc are going to have to have a historical season to be able to compete
He may win next year but okc team not going anywhere. Do people realize how injured they are this year yet still number one?
2nd in games lost this year lol 😂 I am just hoping we are healthy come playoffs
People just dont care because generally dont follow any detail if its not their team.
Even in that Denver win people just dont understand we had not iHart, Chet, Caruso and jDub. Like not having that frontline alone should mean a loss Denver.
People will start to realise now there are actually games of consequence coming.
Look at this guy trying to start his own mvp narrative smh
I mean he has a better case than people like to pretend.
-Best defensive player by a mile
-Team is currently one of the most dominant teams in the league
-His individual impact stats are crazy
-His overall stat line in insane, his biggest problem is he has had his minutes kept in check most of the year
He is as dominant on defense as much as either Jokic or SGA is on offense. And his offense is still genuinely elite too, I don’t see why his MVP case shouldn’t be up there with the others.
It’s SGA’s award to lose, unless SGA gets hurt Wemby has no chance. SGA’s offense is way better, Thunder have a better record
the Thunder are 1 for 4 against the spurs and lead them by 3 games.
Is that three games more impactful than direct matchups where the spurs dominated?
He’s having an MVP level season impact wise obviously but it’s not being discussed much because we know Shai will win this year
Well that’s my point, people just write it in, but if you think about it objectively, it should be close.
The team dominance and the head to head success vs the Thunder should be big factors.
Shais accomplishments this season 100% earn him another MVP, incredible season from that man. But our boy Wemby is almost there, what a fun season this has been for a lifelong spurs fan.
I mean we are all just prepping for the full Wemby takeover which is why winning last year was so important because it is going to be a slugfest from here on out to win chips
Why couldn’t this lurpy French mf get drafted by the Kangz or Wizards?
If he can stay healthy absolutely, the spurs are the only team I’m afraid of lol
Best way to get the mvp is scoring 101 points in a game and getting 30 blocks.
Is Wemby stupid?
Dpoy in the bag already but mvp next year young fella.
Yep I think people underrate how much narrative plays a part in mvp (sometimes too much) so a great playoff run this year and the expected offensive improvements we all expect he makes next season on top of what he already does he will definitely have a really great case
I hate that playoff runs have an impact on MVPs.
It doesn’t. Voting happens right after the reason season ends.
yeah but it has an effenct on the following year
Sometimes playoff runs shape a bit of the narrative around player X yes, but in reality it’s usually not very significant
Agreed. And while post all star break Vic has played as well as anyone, nobody is consistent like SGA on both sides of the ball. Narrative and momentum plus actual in season accomplishments make SGA in catchable this year. But we are already hearing the national media narrative flip and Vic will be a front runner for MVP next year if he keeps playing like he has been this calendar year.
Exactly my point how he finishes this year will have a big narrative boost for next years mvp which is honestly why I think he wins it as he will obviously be better next year as well as he is still only 22. I was glad we won when we did because winning a chip in THIS western conference is going to be an absolute slug fest starting this year lol 😆
If the spurs secure the 1st seed he has a real chance even though Shai would still be the favorite
The next generation of stars might save the league on a competitiveness level
Hes going to start pressing the gas NOW???? What has he been doing?????
I laughed for real. It’s already ridiculous. What does the next level look like?
If he has another level we can just cancel basketball.
Bro already has Shammgod and Dame Lillard clutch 3 badges FFS
Absolutely NO one imagined the spurs to be the second seed at all it’s amazing what Wemby and Mitch Johnson and the entire team has done.
when Embiid tried to win MVP he got called a loser
He cried and whined about it, like Bam has for DPOY.
That’s different than stating you are going for it.
I promise you it’s the same thing also Embiid said it once in a interview lmao u just hate one guy and like the other it’s okay
Ppl hated on Embiid too much and lots of ppl were Jokic fans that just piled on the Embiid hate train. Embiid deserved that mvp
DPOY is locked even if he just plays 1 minute a game to get to the games requirement.
You need to play at least 20 minutes for the game to count though.
Can only play two games below 20min, otherwise it won’t count
And even those 2 have to be above 15 min, and wemby already used one of those
Love his mentality
Based on this post, LeBron needs to retire
If he plays 65 games, he’s a lock for DPOY
If he doesn’t, he might still get it. He has a reasonable case to petition to be eligible
Wemby’s the only one that can stop the Thunder. I’m convinced of this.
Wembys got that dawg on him. The league is officially on notice
Embiid said this same thing during his MVP run and this sub shit on him lol
This guy is not afraid to want it, he is not too cool for school, he is waking the whole league up and putting them on notice, oh well I better get over Lebron not winning #5, we will made do with #4 of them thangs
I do love that energy
Wemby has no fear of appearing cringe or tryhard, which is increasingly rare in his generation
Would be nice to see Wemby win the MVP
He’s gotten a lot more muscular and thicker since joining. He’ll be at a good weight plus if he does the same type of workouts/stretches, he’ll be very agile and strong in the long run.
Win the MVP lol
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I love Wemby down… his spirit gives me life!
So will wemby get 2 or 3 years before the hate flows?
As a lifelong Spurs fan, if Wemby goes full OP in the playoffs, yes he definitely becomes the villain to every other team. I’d say same aura as Doomsday or Thanos. Straight fear when the Spurs walk on the court. It’s already developing now. We just need the validation of playoffs.
Nah probably sooner. I can see him pissing of fans of opposing teams in playoffs.
Catching up to SGA is gonna be a Herculean task, but if anyone can do it it’s Wemby
Man i wish we still have more games against okc 😂, only way wemby wins it is to outplay sga near the end of the regular season and overtake them for the 1st seed.
No mvp this year but he’s well on his way next year
Had a good run sga.. after this year coach letting him go full throttle
Speak it into existence
He is like Thanos man
this was the best way he could say it, none of the Whataboutisms or the pity party, just pure love for the game and wanting to prove he’s the best in the world
Bro got that 90’s mentality….love it !!!!
Wemby must be the only universally loved NBA player,
For now, this shit is always temporary. He’s gonna be human and fuck up like all celebrities do and then the sharks will start circling
The only thing he needs to do from here is take care of his body. If he does that, the league is his.
2023 Embiid saying this had him getting death threats
The biggest reason why he decided to get healthy is that he saw Chet was favourite to win DPOY after his injury lol. He hates Chet so much that he just stopped getting injured out of spite lol. He won’t win MVP this year though.
Enjoy how much him and Shai want these awards.
Unfortunately shai will win even tho Wemby is the most impactful player in the league
Feels good to be talking about current stars instead of watching creepy Diddy pedos taking trips to Germany for steroids like LeBron get all the buzz