San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is one of the most vocal players in the NBA. He doesn’t shy away from engaging in trash talk on the court and will challenge anyone brave enough to go on a verbal spat with him. On Monday, coach Mitch Johnson broke down how the Spurs star does it.
Trash-talking is a natural part of the game, and it gets the players going. Wembanyama has had his fair share of situations where he had to talk smack to one of the opposing players. Ahead of San Antonio’s Monday game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Johnson spoke to the media about Wembanyama’s trash-talking.
“I think he’s very thoughtful, and I think he’s very direct, and if that comes out in a competitive way in an interaction, it doesn’t surprise me. I think sometimes he’s probably more transparent or brutally honest than most,” Johnson said.
“I think he's very thoughtful, and I think he's very direct, and if that comes out in a competitive way in an interaction, it doesn't surprise me. I think sometimes he's probably more transparent or brutally honest than most.”
-Mitch Johnson on Wemby’s trash talking pic.twitter.com/VOvntvxrEA
— Silver & Black Coffee Hour (@SlvrBlkCoffeeHr) December 29, 2025
In the 2025-26 NBA season, Victor Wembanyama has had instances where he talked smack to opponents. A few notable interactions would be with San Antonio Spurs star Draymond Green. He also got into it with Oklahoma City Thunder guard Alex Caruso during the NBA Cup semifinals.
The Spurs need time to adjust with Victor Wembanyama back in the starting lineup
Victor Wembanyama will once again start for the Spurs against the Utah Jazz on Saturday. After missing 12 straight games, the team managed the star’s minutes by having him run with the second unit. He missed some time fue to a calf strain, and San Antonio wants to make sure the Frenchman is 100% healthy.
In his first start since returning from injury, however, the Spurs needed a bit of time to get used to his presence. Wembanyama had 32 points, seven rebounds and five blocks. Unfortunately for the Spurs, the team had a 127-114 loss.
After that, Johnson spoke about how the team needs to adjust to Wembanyama being in the starting lineup.
“Victor’s not a small piece you’re just adding into the starting lineup, and we have guys that have been playing well and that have been aggressive, and their usage in the first four or five minutes is going to look differently with him on the court,” the coach said.
