{"id":146172,"date":"2025-09-10T09:08:19","date_gmt":"2025-09-10T09:08:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/146172\/"},"modified":"2025-09-10T09:08:19","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T09:08:19","slug":"wembanyama-commits-egregious-cardinal-sin-during-qa-with-spurs-fans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/146172\/","title":{"rendered":"Wembanyama commits egregious cardinal sin during Q&A with Spurs fans"},"content":{"rendered":"

The age-old question has reared its ugly head again, and this time, it was Victor Wembanyama answering the inquiry. During the same Q&A session, the Alien used to announce the Supporter Section<\/a>, a fan asked him who he’s taking between Tim Duncan and the late, great Kobe Bryant. His answer was disappointing, to say the least.<\/p>\n

Wemby says Kobe is \u2018probably\u2019 better than Tim Duncan all-time <\/p>\n

\u201cProbably Kobe\u2026actually, I don\u2019t know.\u201d \ud83d\ude05<\/p>\n

(h\/t @GreggPopowich<\/a>)<\/p>\n

pic.twitter.com\/Tq7hiqY7cJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) September 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Now, obviously, he means no disrespect to Timmy D. A few months ago, he was asked to name his all-time starting five, and he put the Big Fundamental in the lineup<\/a>. But that was as fierce a rivalry as the NBA had in the 2000s, especially for the fans, and nobody in San Antonio wants to hear that Kobe was better… because he wasn’t.<\/p>\n

Tim Duncan is the dominant player of his era<\/p>\n

Wembanyama is a student of the game, so I’m not going to criticize him harshly. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. However, Bryant’s image benefited from playing in Los Angeles, where the lights are brighter and all the eyes are drawn. His callous nature was actually endearing to many as it mimicked Michael Jordan’s demeanor, and we all know how much everyone loved MJ. <\/p>\n

He was the Black Mamba. So, he has a much cooler nickname, and everything surrounding Kobe was just seen as much cooler than anything Tim Duncan was doing, even though he did more winning and impacted the game in more ways than the Lakers legend. Winning isn’t all that matters when it comes to entertainment value, but it is when we’re talking about greatness. <\/p>\n

Tim Duncan is eighth all-time in win shares with 206, compared to Kobe’s 18th-place spot with 173. Those numbers directly account for a player’s impact on winning, but if you’re old enough <\/a>to have watched that era, it didn’t take reading those numbers to know that. <\/p>\n

Tim Duncan was the anchor<\/a> for the team on offense and defense. Bryant was a force, don’t get me wrong, but he needed an anchor in the middle of the floor to get the job done. He was the second man for LA’s first three championships, alongside Shaquille O’Neal, who was everyone’s concern first and foremost. <\/p>\n

Kobe then went through a stretch of either missing the playoffs or getting knocked out of the first round after Shaq left until the Lakers acquired Pau Gasol. Now, everyone needs help, so that’s not a knock on Kobe, but again, Timmy D was the anchor, and as things changed around him, he only kept driving winning for the small-market Spurs. <\/p>\n

Because of all the hype surrounding Bryant, he evokes a certain feeling in fans when you bring him up. He’s like a folklore legend. But it skews the reality of what took place during that time and who was the true monster of that generation. Wembanyama may have named Kobe, but that’s okay. If there’s anything that the current age of player podcasts has revealed, it’s that they aren’t perfect.<\/p>\n