San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama refused to keep quiet after Veterans Affairs nurse Alex Pretti was shot and killed Saturday by ICE agents in Minnesota. Wembanyama spoke out on Pretti’s killing Tuesday, ignoring the team’s PR guidance to be “politically correct” about the issue.
Wembanyama issued a strong statement on what’s been going on in Minnesota, saying he’s “horrified” every day he wakes up and sees the news on television.
His full statement read:
“You know, PR has tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give some politically correct [answer]. Every day, I wake up and see the news and I’m horrified. I think that it’s crazy that some people make it sound like it’s acceptable, like the murder of civilians is acceptable.
“I read the news and sometimes I’m asking very deep questions about my own life. I’m conscious also that saying everything that’s on my mind would have a cost that’s too great for me right now. So, I would rather not get into too many details.”
Wembanyama was then asked about the fear of speaking openly in the face of injustice. Wembanyama added, “It’s terrible. I know I’m a foreigner. I live in this country. I am concerned.”
When asked whether his status as a foreigner played a role in his hesitancy to speak more on the issue, Wembanyama admitted that was the case.
The 22-year-old Wembanyama was born and grew up in France. He spent his early basketball career in the Pro A and EuroLeague before the Spurs made him the No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 NBA Draft. Since then, Wembanyama has spent each NBA season living in the United States.
Wembanyama is not the only prominent NBA name to speak out on the issue. Over the weekend, Karl-Anthony Towns, Steve Kerr, Chris Finch and Charles Barkley all issued strong words on ICE’s presence in Minnesota. Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton also commented on Pretti’s killing, calling it “murder.”
Wembanyama’s teammates De’Aaron Fox and Julian Champagnie, as well as coach Mitch Johnson also issued comments on the situation when asked Sunday.
The NBPA was among the groups to put out a joint statement as well, saying it would “stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota.” One of the members of the NBPA’s executive committee, Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown, issued his own statement Tuesday, calling for “accountability” and “improvement in the tactics, the profiling, or whatever is going on.”
Athletes outside of the NBA have also been vocal on the situation. WNBA and Unrivaled star Breanna Stewart held up a sign before Sunday’s game calling for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to be abolished. Denver Broncos lineman Quinn Meinerz followed Stewart’s example, and Minnesota Twins players Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson sent out images of support for protesters in the state.
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