San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama won’t keep quiet about what’s happening in the world around him — no matter what his team tries to tell him.
“PR has tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give some politically correct … every day I wake up and see the news, and I’m horrified,” Wembanyama, 22, told reporters after practice on Tuesday, January 27.
The former NBA Rookie of the Year was talking about ICE’s presence in Minnesota, where two civilians have been shot and killed by agents in the past three weeks. Overall, eight people nationwide have died in confrontations with ICE agents in 2026.
“It’s crazy that some people might make it sound like it’s acceptable, like the murder of civilians is acceptable,” Wembanyama continued. “I read the news and sometimes I’m asking very deep questions about my own life. But you know, 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’d rather not get into too many details.”
The most recent incident, the shooting of ICU nurse Alex Pretti on Saturday, January 24, resulted in the Minnesota Timberwolves’ home game against the Golden State Warriors the next day being postponed. The NBA made the decision “to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community,” it said in a statement.
For Wembanyama, who came to the United States from France in 2023, the ICE violence hits close to home.
“It’s terrible,” he said. “I know I’m a foreigner. I live in this country, and I have concerns for sure. I think there’s enough detail there for now. If privately, we can discuss it maybe later, but not right now.”
Wembanyama has joined a growing list of professional athletes who have voiced their opinions over the past few weeks. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton and New York Knicks forward Karl-Anthony Towns have both spoken out on social media, while Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch and Warriors coach Steve Kerr have both made impassioned statements during press conferences.
In the WNBA, Unrivaled cofounder Breanna Stewart held a sign that said “Abolish ICE” during the player intros of her team’s game on Sunday, January 25.
“Really all day yesterday, I was just disgusted from everything that you see on Instagram and in the news,” Stewart, 31, explained to ESPN. “Everyone here [at Unrivaled] is feeling that way, one way or another.”
She added, “We’re so fueled by hate right now instead of love, so I wanted to have a simple message of ‘Abolish ICE,’ which means having policies to uplift families and communities instead of fueling fear and violence.”
The NBA Players Association has also spoken out, releasing a statement on Sunday.
“Following the news of yet another fatal shooting in Minneapolis, a city that has been on the forefront of the fight against injustices, NBA players can no longer remain silent,” the statement read. “Now more than ever, we must defend the right to freedom of speech and stand in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.”
The statement continued, “The fraternity of NBA players, like the United States itself, is a community enriched by its global citizens, and we refuse to let the flames of division threaten the civil liberties that are meant to protect us all.”
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