If it feels like Victor Wembanyama hasn't been heard from much in the national media this offseason, there may be a reason for it. After the San Antonio Spurs' 4-1 series loss to the New York Knicks
in the 2026 NBA Finals, Wembanyama has played for the French national team and, of course, attended the 2026 media day. However, according to a new report on the Spurs' young star, he's intentionally avoiding speaking with any U.S. outlets, with one exception.On The Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN's Michael C. Wright said Wembanyama has essentially been "locked in" since losing in the NBA Finals, refusing to speak to any U.S. media outlet except 60 Minutes.
"I'm hearing that Victor does not want to talk about what happened in the Finals," Wright said.
"I'm hearing he's like locked in ... I was told that he's not even talking to any American media outlets except for 60 Minutes. And I'm curious to see what the 60 Minutes is, but yeah, it affected him in a way."
Victor Wembanyama is reportedly locked in after losing the Finals and is refusing to speak to any American media outlet except '60 Minutes', per @mikecwright
— NBABase (@TheNBABase) October 6, 2026
"He's locked in. As a matter of fact, I was told he’s not even talking to any American media outlets except for 60… pic.twitter.com/sAoq8SODC2
The comments are obviously eye-opening, and Wright goes on to explain that he believes Wembanyama learned during the NBA Finals how impactful one mistake can be, especially against an opponent like the Knicks. Essentially, Wright was highlighting that the Finals loss and how things transpired were unknown territory for Wemby, which is understandable.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Victor Wembanyama is reportedly freezing out all U.S. media outlets except 1
