Victor Wembanyama's 2025-26 season -- his third in the NBA -- affirmed his status as the league's next megastar. Wembanyama led the Spurs to the 2026 NBA Finals before they lost to the Knicks in five games, and he earned the first of what figures to be many Defensive Player of the Year awards and All-NBA honors.
Wembanyama has entered the 2026-27 season with sky-high expectations. The 7-foot-4 Frenchman is the favorite to win NBA MVP honors, and the Spurs are the favorites to win the 2027 championship.
For the better part of his first three years in the league, Wembanyama was a beloved figure, doing things no one else could do on the court to create jaw-dropping highlights that got passed around social media and group texts.
However, as the Spurs moved through the postseason, some of the love from fans started to get lost. There were moments that started to earn him a "dirty" label, including when Wembanyama clocked Naz Reid with an elbow in the second round of the playoffs against the Timberwolves. Wembanyama then irked Knicks players (and their fans) when he shoved New York star Jalen Brunson in the NBA Finals.
Once viewed as a conquering hero, Wembanyama became a villain, particularly in New York.
In a sit-down interview with 60 Minutes' Jon Wertheim that will air this Sunday night on CBS, Wembanyama was asked about that switch. He noted that he was unbothered by having a "villain" label because he was solely focused on what he was doing on the court.
60 MINUTES: Last year in the Finals you were portrayed-- as a villain. Correct me if I'm wrong, I didn't get the feeling that bothered you.
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA: No, it didn't because I'm not paying attention to this-- during the Finals. I don't think any player on either team really is.
While Wembanyama insists he ignored the chatter off the court, he doesn't seem to want that villain tag to last. Wembanyama added that last year's playoff run was a learning experience of toeing the line between being competitive and going to far -- which he noted he crossed on occasion.
60 MINUTES: I wondered if you didn't show, "Hey, this is part of my character too." Edgy Wemby, whatever it is. But you showed a new side of yourself.
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA: It showed my limits more than anything else. Going out there, you need to play basketball. You don't need to beat the s--- out of people. [laughs] If you wanna win, at least.
Wembanyama is one of the league's most openly introspective and reflective stars, even at just 23 years old. He seems to recognize that he allowed himself to get too caught up with the physicality of playoff basketball and seems determined to better understand how to play up to that line without crossing it in the manner he did at times in his first taste of the postseason.
TUNE IN: The full interview with 60 Minutes' Jon Wertheim and Wembanyama will air Sunday, Nov. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET, after NFL football, on CBS and stream on Paramount+. In the preseason, 60 Minutes followed Wembanyama in his native France, where he runs an annual tournament combining basketball with another one of his passions: chess.