Victor Wembanyama-Thunder beef, explained: Why Spurs star's 'ethical basketball' comments caused stir

Victor Wembanyama is already one of the best players in the NBA at just 21 years-old, and he's already in the center of a major basketball rivalry.

Wembanyama's San Antonio Spurs are one of the best stories of the young season thus far, in large part to the team's success against the powerhouse Oklahoma City Thunder. The two teams entered their Christmas Day matchup as the two best squads in the Western Conference, with the Spurs representing half of the Thunder's losses on the season.

Not only that, Wembanyama has taken a few apparent shots at the 2024-25 NBA champions, seemingly calling out the way the Thunder play. Here's a breakdown of how the Thunder an Spurs developed the newest NBA beef.

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Victor Wembanyama-Thunder beef, explained

In just his third season in the NBA, Victor Wembanyama has found himself at the center of a rivalry with the Thunder.

While most teams have failed to solve the powerhouse Thunder, the Spurs are the one team the has found success against the defending champions. Oklahoma City lost just four of its first 30 games to begin the 2025-26 season, but two of them came against the Spurs, including one in the NBA Cup semifinals.

Additionally, Wembanyama has taken shots at the Thunder for their style of play, referring to the way the Thunder play as unethical. It also helps that Wembanyama and Thunder center Chet Holmgren have an apparent animosity towards each other dating back to their teenage years.

Overall, these two organizations have perhaps the brightest futures of any two teams in the NBA, making their beef even more interesting.

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What did Victor Wembanyama say about the Thunder?

After the Spurs beat the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals, which marked Oklahoma City's second loss of the season, Victory Wembanyama appeared to take a shot at the defending champions.

"I'm just glad to be a part of something that's growing to be so beautiful," he said. "So pure and ethical basketball."

Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama after upsetting the Thunder in the NBA Cup semifinals: “I’m just glad to be part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful — pure and ethical basketball.” pic.twitter.com/AoBAUlTSgs

While Wembanyama didn't mention the Thunder directly, everyone assumed he was implying that Oklahoma City didn't play "ethical basketball." When asked to explain what he meant, Wembanyama said he was mainly talking about iso ball.

"In modern basketball, we see a lot of brands of basketball that don't offer much variety in dangers they propose to the opponents," he said. "Lots of isolation ball and, sometimes, kind of forced basketball."

The Thunder are known to be not only one of the most-frequent isolation teams in the NBA, but also the best of anyone, thanks to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. San Antonio, on the other hand, plays what Wembanyama describes as a more "old school" brand that helped the organization win five NBA title between 1999 and 2014.

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Victor Wembanyama-Chet Holmgren beef, explained

Victor Wembanyama and Thunder center Chet Holmgren has a budding rivalry dating back a while. The two big men were both high draft picks, Welmbanyama first in 2023 and Holmgren second in 2022, and they finished first and second in 2023-24 Rookie of the Year voting, respectively.

Wembanyama and Holmgren are both slender centers who can stretch the floor by shooting the three, and they have squared off many times over the years. The two stars first matched up at the 2021 U-19 FIBA World Cup, before they even entered the NBA, and they have since all sorts of intense battles.

While Wembanyama is considered to be the better player, Holmgren won a championship first, which may not sit well with the Spurs star.

"I was told by somebody inside that room that Wemby is motivated by Chet," ESPN's Marc J. Spears reported earlier this season. "Chet having one up on him on the championship."

Even when Wembanyama denies the rivalry, he appears to be slighting Holmgren.

"No, I don't think about that," Wembanyama said about he vs. Holmgren. "At least from a basketball standpoint, there's no comparison"