Known simply as "Wemby," he has the look, personality and seemingly unearthly style of play to become the NBA's next one-name superstar, joining the ranks of Michael, Kobe and LeBron.Unfortunately, his Finals debut fell short.The Spurs blew a 14-point second-half lead in a Game 1 loss to the Knicks.Wembanyama finished with 26 points, but he shot just 6-for-21 from the field and struggled to impose his will down the stretch.Yet by Thursday morning, much of the discussion surrounding Wembanyama had little to do with basketball.Before the game, cameras caught Wembanyama standing with his arms crossed during the U.S.
national anthem.Fans noticed immediately.It's unclear why Wembanyama chose to stand that way.
He has done it before, though it drew little attention given the difference in scale between the Finals and the rest of the NBA season.Was he making a political statement? Was it simply a natural posture? As a native of France, does the gesture carry a different meaning altogether?OutKick contacted representatives of the NBA, the Spurs and Wembanyama seeking clarification.As of publication, none had responded.
We will update this story if they do.Still, fans who interpreted the gesture as a statement about America are not doing so in a vacuum.In January, Wembanyama accused U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents of "murdering" civilians.MEDIA NETWORKS SHOULDN’T HIRE STEVE KERR OR DOC RIVERS AFTER FALSE CLAIMS ABOUT ICE | BOBBY BURACK"Yeah, PR has tried, but I'm not going to sit here and give some politically correct answer," Wembanyama told reporters who asked him about unrest following the shootings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good."Every day I wake up and see the news, and I'm horrified.I think it's crazy that some people might make it seem like or make it sound like the murder of civilians is acceptable."For the record, "murder" is a legal term.
The agents involved in the shootings were never charged with murder.Nonetheless, Wembanyama used th...