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It's been a few days since the San Antonio Spurs lost the NBA Finals, but the controversy surrounding Victor Wembanyama walking straight off the court in Game 5 without shaking the New York Knicks' hands is still simmering.
Beyond the general show-of-sportsmanship conversation, four-time NBA champion Draymond Green shared a fresh take about Wembanyama's immature decision at the lowest moment of his young career.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Green said that he thinks Wembanyama looks weak for skipping post-finals handshakes. Why? Because he couldn't look Jalen Brunson and the other Knicks in the eye after they beat him and the Spurs. Green took it a step further and claimed that he knows Brunson's Knicks "own" Wembanyama and are in his head because he couldn't gather up the nerve to, at the very least, congratulate an opponent that beat him. In effect, he clearly let the Knicks get under his skin. To Green, eschewing this part of losing the NBA Finals makes Wembanyama look like a petty, sore loser.
IN HIS OWN HEAD: Victor Wembanyama needs to grow up before he grows his game
Honestly, Green makes a fantastic point that we shouldn't lose sight of:
There's a reason shaking hands with your opponent at the end of a heated game or series is seen as such an important tradition in professional sports. No matter the animosity that was evident when everyone was between the lines, you should look the people you beat or lost to in the eye and congratulate them. It is a reminder of the goodwill that should surround high-level competition and a tacit acknowledgment of respect for your peers, regardless of which side of the win-or-lose fence you fall on. Grow up and be courteous, or grow up and take your lumps, so to speak.
Wembanyama fell way short in this respect and only made himself look worse after a fall from grace during his first-ever NBA Finals. What should be his mission now? Building himself back up and growing as both a player and a person.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Draymond Green said Wemby looked weak for skipping NBA Finals handshakes. Here's why
Continue reading...
Beyond the general show-of-sportsmanship conversation, four-time NBA champion Draymond Green shared a fresh take about Wembanyama's immature decision at the lowest moment of his young career.
On the latest episode of his podcast, Green said that he thinks Wembanyama looks weak for skipping post-finals handshakes. Why? Because he couldn't look Jalen Brunson and the other Knicks in the eye after they beat him and the Spurs. Green took it a step further and claimed that he knows Brunson's Knicks "own" Wembanyama and are in his head because he couldn't gather up the nerve to, at the very least, congratulate an opponent that beat him. In effect, he clearly let the Knicks get under his skin. To Green, eschewing this part of losing the NBA Finals makes Wembanyama look like a petty, sore loser.
IN HIS OWN HEAD: Victor Wembanyama needs to grow up before he grows his game
Honestly, Green makes a fantastic point that we shouldn't lose sight of:
There's a reason shaking hands with your opponent at the end of a heated game or series is seen as such an important tradition in professional sports. No matter the animosity that was evident when everyone was between the lines, you should look the people you beat or lost to in the eye and congratulate them. It is a reminder of the goodwill that should surround high-level competition and a tacit acknowledgment of respect for your peers, regardless of which side of the win-or-lose fence you fall on. Grow up and be courteous, or grow up and take your lumps, so to speak.
Wembanyama fell way short in this respect and only made himself look worse after a fall from grace during his first-ever NBA Finals. What should be his mission now? Building himself back up and growing as both a player and a person.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Draymond Green said Wemby looked weak for skipping NBA Finals handshakes. Here's why
Continue reading...
