Victor Wembanyama‘s return to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday fueled a 111-109 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. It was a significant game for the Spurs as they advanced to the Emirates NBA Cup Finals. They will face the New York Knicks for a chance to win the In-Season Tournament. Before the game, Wembanyama was asked about how it is to guard his rival, Chet Holmgren.
However, Wemabanyama’s answer wasn’t well received by former Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki. The Spurs star dodged the question and directed it to Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
“The reigning MVP is on that court, so he’s our main focus. Anybody is hard to guard when you have to help with the MVP,” said Wembanyama.
Nowitzki didn’t like his answer and called it “dismissive” of Holmgren’s contributions to the Thunder’s success.
The former Dallas Mavericks star expressed his thoughts on what Wembanyama said during NBA on Prime’s coverage of the Western Conference NBA Cup Semifinals.
“I do want to say, I didn’t love his answer about Chet,” Nowitzki said. “I wish he would’ve given him a little credit. You can say, ‘Hey, they have the MVP. Shai is incredible, but Chet has gotten better from year to year. He’s a champ, and I want to play hard against him.’ I didn’t love that answer.
Dirk:
"I didn't love (Wemby's) answer about Chet. I wish he would've given him a little credit. To me it's too swaggy, too dismissive" https://t.co/gGnLu3bXOZ pic.twitter.com/eoRKK8OtGW
— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) December 14, 2025
“To me, it’s too swaggy, too dismissive of Chet,” he continued. “But hey, they might have something going and can’t wait. Get the popcorn out.”
While Gilgeous-Alexander is Oklahoma City’s true leader, Holmgren has made important contributions to the team’s success. This season, he’s averaging 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds, helping the team to a 24-2 start.
Victor Wembanyama took a dig at the Thunder after the NBA Cup win
Victor Wembanyama had 22 points in his return for the Spurs after missing 12 straight games. His presence played a significant part in the team’s win. Wembanyama talked about how happy he was to see his teammates again during his post-game press conference.
“I mean, you can’t imagine,” Wembanyama said. “It’s just incredible, ’cause I’ve seen these guys for the last 12 games, just get better, do some beautiful things. And I just wanted to be a part of it. I’m glad that we can still do it when I’m here. I’m happy about that, of course. But I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful. Pure and ethical basketball.”
However, people thought that Victor Wembanyama’s last sentence was a dig at the Thunder. Fans have expressed strong opinions on how SGA generates his points by drawing fouls.
For other sports-related content:
Follow me on X at @BarbecueBro, and follow us at @HardwoodHeroics and @GridironHeroics. You can also reach out to Reign Amurao via email at reignamuraonba@gmail.com. To read more of our articles and keep up to date on the latest sports news, click here!
Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
