Wemby Talks Viral Exchange With Draymond Green, 'You Have to Respond A Certain Way'
Even though the San Antonio Spurs came up short in a 109-108 loss to the Golden State Warriors in their NBA Cup matchup on Friday, Victor Wembanyama avoided taking the bait that Draymond Green was trying to set for him when they were matched up on an inbounds pass midway through the fourth quarter.
Speaking to reporters after the game, Wembanyama explained that "you have to respond a certain way" based on how a person is talking to you.
The play occurred when Green was aggressively putting his body into Wembanyama's for positioning. Wemby simply made a spin move to get closer to the basket, caught the lob on the inbounds pass and dunked the ball, but the basket didn't count because Green fouled him before the slam.
Wembanyama followed it up by having a brief staredown with Green, who started going at it with Spurs players. Things calmed down before the situation escalated, but the 21-year-old made his point in that moment.
This is the type of thing that Green has been known to try throughout his career in an attempt to get under the skin of opposing players. It's occasionally backfired on him and the Warriors, but the approach is one that has helped him put together a Hall-of-Fame-caliber resume with nine All-Defensive team selections.
To his credit, Green actually seemed to like the way Wembanyama acted in that moment.
"I respect the way he responded," Green told reporters afterward. "You don't ever back down from anybody, and he didn't. So I respect that."
Green and the Warriors got the last laugh with a win, their second straight against San Antonio after a 125-120 victory on Wednesday.
Wembanyama not only held his own in that one moment, but put together another excellent game in what has been a fantastic start to his season. He finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three blocks in 38 minutes.
These two teams play two more times in the regular season on Feb. 11 and April 1, both at Chase Center.
