Victor Wembanyama Urged To Hate NBA Champions New York Knicks

Victor Wembanyama suffered a tough loss in the NBA Finals as the San Antonio Spurs bowed down to the New York Knicks to concede the championship after five games. 

After Game 5, Wembanyama notably snubbed the rest of the Spurs following the final buzzer, going, instead, to the locker room as the team endured the defeat in the biggest stage. 

ESPN analyst and former NBA champion Kendrick Perkins loved what he saw from Wembanyama. He said that the league needs more hatred against one another and Wemby’s NBA Finals demeanor was good for the competition in the league. 

“We have to get back to rivalries. We have to get back to guys not liking one another,” Perkins said in ESPN’s First Take. “It is good and great for the game of basketball. People want to tune in to guys really competing and having real hate for one another. Wemby don’t like the Knicks and the Knicks don’t like Wemby.”

Kendrick Perkins Getting Calls About His Take on Humility in the NBA

GettyKendrick Perkins speaks about humility in the NBA (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

Perkins revealed that many in the high school basketball circuit have been scrutinizing him for celebrating hatred in basketball instead of humility. He does not care.

“People in the AAU space are calling me saying, ‘Perk, you got to teach good sportsmanship.’ I ain’t got to teach nothing. When you get between them lines, it’s either me or you, and majority of the times it’s going to be me. Damn it, I’m not with that friendly stuff,” he said. 

It was Wembanyama’s first-ever NBA Finals, after a spirited run in the playoffs, where he steered the Spurs to a massive victory against the 2025 NBA champions OKC Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. 

In the NBA Finals, Wembanyama struggled to get himself going as the Knicks contained him for almost the entirety of the series. 

Nevertheless, the Spurs had double-digit leads in four of the five games, only to blow them late. 

Kendrick Perkins Glad To See Villain Wemby Rise

GettySAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – JUNE 13: Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs looks on during the second quarter against the New York Knicks in Game Five of the 2026 NBA Finals at Frost Bank Center on June 13, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Wembanyama has been rising as one of the biggest villains in the NBA. Perkins is glad he is taking that approach after losing in the NBA. 

“I’m glad Wemby is taking this somewhat villain approach because the league has been missing that,” he said. “You better not come on here being soft either, because I know you get tired of turning on your television and watching all the jersey swaps, ‘that’s my partner,’ and ‘we working out in the offseason.’ Man, we don’t need all that.”

Perkins added that the league is on its way to a positive place because of the new rivalries and hate fostered during the playoffs.  

“The league is trending in a great place right now, where we need more rivalries, more hate, and more dislike. It is great for the game of basketball,” he said. 

Many believe the Spurs are still one of the favorites to win it all next season. Among other favorites are the OKC Thunder, the reigning champions New York Knicks, and the Boston Celtics. 

With the results of this year’s playoffs, expect a new chapter of these rivalries in the upcoming season.

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