Victor Wembanyama said Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP ceremony “fueled him more than anything else could have,” adding that in a high-stakes series, he uses strong emotions like passion, anger, and even jealousy as motivation.
Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander received his back-to-back NBA MVP award just ahead of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
Spurs 22-year-old phenom Victor Wembanyama watched the ceremony before Game 1 and later admitted, after Game 7’s 111-103 win over OKC and the Spurs’ 4-3 series victory, that it helped motivate him to take down SGA and company.
“This fueled me more than anything else could have,” Wembanyama said after Game 7 win. “Sometimes this game is so hard, and this team is so good that you’ve got to use every single emotion you’ve got in you in order to win.
“And sometimes those emotions are passion, love for the game – sometimes it’s anger, sometimes it might even be jealousy. But I don’t want to weigh myself down with any of those energies. I use them on the court.”
Wembanyama’s first playoff run has been outstanding. Through the postseason, he is averaging 23.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game while shooting 51.0% from the field.
Wemby was unanimously named the Western Conference Finals MVP on Saturday.
He posted 22 points and 7 rebounds in the deciding game and averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals, and 2.7 blocks in 37.7 minutes across the seven games.
The Spurs will host the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday at Frost Bank Center.
