Victor Wembanyama’s first NBA Finals run changed the way some commentators talked about him, and Jason Whitlock turned that shift into a direct attack on Gregg Popovich.
The San Antonio Spurs star entered the postseason with the profile of the league’s next clean superstar. By the end of the run against the New York Knicks, his physical play, visible frustration, and post-series reaction had become part of a much harsher debate.
Whitlock went further than most by blaming the Spurs’ longtime coach for what he sees in Wembanyama now.
In comments shared by Jason Whitlock on X, the commentator said Popovich had shaped Wembanyama into something far different from the image many fans once embraced.
“I blame Gregg Popovich for what Victor Wembanyama has become. Victim Wembanyama,” Whitlock said. “I want you to look at this collection of lowlights that Wembanyama put together during this postseason that totally transformed his reputation.”