'Feels unfair': Spurs' Victor Wembanyama on lack of calls

There may be no truer sign of NBA stardom than finding ways to complain about officiating without getting in trouble for it.

San Antonio Spurs sophomore phenom Victor Wembanyama proved as much following Wednesday's 128-116 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, expressing his frustrations to reporters.

It began with a terse "no," when asked if he gets a fair whistle from referees on a nightly basis.

"It's a hard thing to fight because it feels unfair sometimes," Wembanyama said after putting up 23 points, 12 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in 34 minutes.

The line of questioning was prompted by an incident late in the third quarter when the second-year forward was hip-checked by Clippers centre Ivica Zubac. Wembanyama, once off the ground, rushed toward the big man but was immediately held back by teammates and staff before a timeout was called and the matter was diffused.

Despite the shove and ensuing kerfuffle, no fouls were called on Zubac or Wembayama for the incident nor was the play reviewed.

After the game, the 21-year-old made it known his gripe wasn't isolated to that one moment.

"It's not even about Zubac," Wembanyama explained. "It's just frustration, no matter who it was.

"But of course, we talk about it with the staff and there is some stuff I have to do to help myself. First of all, being strong and not bailing out shots, but also there is some work to do."

For the sake of fairness, Zubac did admit after the fact that emotions got the better of him in the moment, bumping Wembanyama harder than he probably needed to.

"I reacted a little," the Clippers big man said. "I thought I got fouled (on the previous play). I was mad at the refs. So ... I saw Wemby crashing (for a rebound), so I knew I had to box him out. I bumped him a little harder. I let emotions take over a little bit, but I apologized to him. That's not the way I want to be on the court and compete."

Even while being admittedly frustrated by how he views officials referee him, the former Rookie of the Year's prevailing thought was letting the matter take care of itself.

"Talking to the refs, of course, explaining myself. But for me, it doesn't feel like it's something I should influence," Wembanyama said. "I'm a basketball player, I'm here to play, and yeah, this is why it's frustrating. (But) it's not my job to do politics."

And while some were surprised by the feisty reaction from the typically cool calm and collected Frenchman, members of San Antonio's staff were not.

"I thought there were a few plays that should have been taken care of a little bit earlier," Spurs acting head coach Mthitch Johnson said post-game. "You'll get reactions like that. It's probably surprising he hasn't reacted like that earlier, to be honest. (Wembanyama) gets a lot of contact, and at some point he's going to have to continue to protect himself if the people controlling the game, supposedly, are not going to do that."

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