A rivalry in the Western Conference reached a new high after Kawhi Leonard returned to the San Antonio Spurs. Fans of the Texas franchise booed the Los Angeles Clippers forward at the Frost Bank Center as the situation heated up. It escalated quickly, so much so that the home team’s head coach, Gregg Popovich, had to step in to silence the crowd. After the match, Victor Wembanyama reflected on the incident as his nonchalant reaction grabbed quite a bit of attention.
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“My reaction was just I had no reaction,” the 19-year-old stated in the post-game interview. He indicated how it showcased the competitive spirit of the supporters, mentioning, “It was during the game”. “Looking back, it was an interesting moment,” he further added, playing down the situation after the contest.
The power forward declared, “Nothing to make noise about,” as he calmly broke down the incident. The 7’4 star further stated, “It was definitely not a big deal to me,” displaying his collective nature to the NBA world. Despite Victor’s composed reaction, the situation was much more serious than explained, prompting Coach Pop to intervene.
Wembanyama on Pop imploring fans to stop booing Leonard:”My reaction was just I had no reaction. It was during the game. Looking back, it was an interesting moment, but nothing to ma ke noise about. It was definitely not a big deal to me.”
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) November 23, 2023
The Spurs fans started booing Kawhi as soon as he stepped up to take his free throws, showcasing their anger toward their former star. Reacting to this, the 74-year-old Spurs coach urged the crowd to “Have a little class,” before the mockery intensified. In the post-match conference, though, Gregg cited a different reason for his actions, adding a different layer of angle to the entire incident.
“You don’t poke the bear,” Pop highlighted, paying his respect to the attributes of his ex-player. Unfortunately for him, Popovich may have been too late in his intrusion, as Leonard dropped 26-4-4 to lead the LA side to their third win in a row.
Spurs postgame
Pop said he asked the fans to stop booing because you don’t “Poke the Bear”
Follow up questions here by Andrew Lopez and @tom_orsborn on Pop’s comments over the public address announcer’s microphone⬇️ pic.twitter.com/jZGK8t7F9n
— Hector Ledesma (@HectorLedesmaTV) November 23, 2023
What did Kawhi Leonard say after being booed by the Spurs fans?
The small forward ignored the noise to focus on his game as his team maintained their winning run. After the match, he seemed to have held no grudges against the supporters but rather chose to shed the spotlight on the reality. “If I don’t have a Spurs jersey on, they’re probably going to boo me the rest of my career,” the 2-time champion mentioned. “They’re one of the best fans in the league and they’re very competitive,” Kawhi added to pay tribute to them.
It put forward the competitive nature of the sport, as self-interest took center stage. Really, the occasion showcased the ruthless nature of the NBA to every onlooker.
