Wemby sounds off on 'unfair' refs: 'Not my job to do politics'
Victor Wembanyama argued that a lack of calls from referees contributed to his frustration when he tried to confront Ivica Zubac after the Los Angeles Clippers center knocked him to the court Wednesday.
"It's a hard thing to fight, because it feels unfair sometimes," the San Antonio Spurs star said after their 128-116 loss to L.A. "Of course we talk about it with the staff and there is some stuff I have to do to help myself. First of all, being strong and not bailing out shots. But also there is some work to do, like talking to the refs, of course, explaining myself.
"But for me, it doesn't feel like it's something I should influence. I'm a basketball player, I'm here to play, and yeah, this is why it's frustrating. It's not my job to do politics."
Wembanyama was getting into position for a potential offensive rebound when Zubac shoved him from behind, sending the towering Frenchman tumbling to the ground in front of his bench. The Spurs center attempted to run at Zubac in response but was quickly held back by a coach.
Here's the entire sequence that led to the Wembanyama-Zubac dust-up. Wemby blocks Zubac, Zubac asks for a foul but doesn't get, gets frustrated, runs back and shoves Wemby. Wemby starts running toward him before teammates stop him pic.twitter.com/K8DOZNknNr
— Jeje Gomez (@JejeGomezNBA) January 30, 2025
Zubac said postgame that he was upset at a missed call himself, believing that Wembanyama had fouled him seconds prior at the other end.
"I was mad at the refs and then I was late," Zubac said, according to Sports Illustrated's Joey Linn. "Started going up, I saw Wemby crashing so I knew I had to box him out. Bumped (him) a little harder. I let emotions take over a little bit.
"But I apologized to him. That's not the way I want to be on the court and compete."
Wembanyama draws 4.8 personal fouls per game, the 19th-highest mark in the NBA. Opponents commit a league-high eight fouls on average against Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson and Orlando Magic forward Paolo Banchero tied for second at 6.1 drawn personal fouls each.
Fouls on Wembanyama only translate to 3.9 free-throw attempts per game. That puts the Spurs' 7-foot-3 center outside the top 50 in attempts (No. 58), although he's converting 84.2% of them on the season.
After learning of Zubac's postgame comments, Wembanyama complimented the Clippers center and said he held no ill will against him specifically.
"It's not even about Zubac, man. It was just frustration. Doesn't matter who it was. Zubac is a nice guy," he said.