Kevin Garnett Isn’t Fully Convinced With Victor Wembanyama Ahead of NBA Finals Despite Mentoring the Spurs Superstar

Kevin Garnett has seen firsthand just how hard Victor Wembanyama works. And the Frenchman, after a breakout season in which he became the unanimous Defensive Player of the Year, is now just four wins away from leading the Spurs to their first championship since 2014. Garnett, however, has his doubts and feels that the Knicks will prove to be too much for Wemby and Co. to handle.

In a recent episode of KG Certified, the Hall of Famer went off on Wembanyama, arguing that the pressure will get to him during the NBA Finals, which begin today.

"Knick's finna smash 'em," Garnett told fellow Hall of Famer Paul Pierce. "Aight n***a, can [Victor Wembanyama] play in the pressure cooker? Huh? Can he come in Madison Square and play?"

Garnett, a man infamous for his intensity and mind games, seemed a bit too harsh on the player he mentored during the 2025 offseason. But that's the challenge Wembanyama has ahead of him. Defeating the defending champion Thunder was difficult, but winning at least two games at Madison Square Garden, with some of the most passionate fans in the world rooting against you, is a completely different challenge.

"And ain't no going to play no chess and going to Carbone and think you going to be in the streets of New York," Garnett added. "Nah n***a, you gonna be in that hotel room. Ain't no going out n***a. You don't want to be out in this storm. You won't be out in the next storm n***a. That's crazy, fck this n***a talkin' bout. Knicks gonna bone these (Spurs)."

It appears that Garnett doesn't believe his student can live up to the demands of performing in the Finals. In 2025, the former Timberwolves star worked with Wembanyama to help sharpen his competitive spirit, mentality, and add some aggression to his playing style. At the time, Garnett had nothing but praise for the Spurs center.

"I really felt like this is my opportunity to be able to exchange with him, and I'm a fan of young fella … When I sat down with him, man, he's super smart, super intel. He doesn't answer anything fast. He thinks about everything that you're saying," he said on an older episode of his podcast.

And the training did pay off to some extent. The 2025-26 season was Wembanyama's best in the NBA so far. He averaged 25 points and 11 rebounds per game during the regular season, while also winning the Western Conference Finals MVP award. In MVP voting, he finished third behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic.

In a way, Garnett going after Wembanyama might just be another one of his mind games, designed to fuel the fire in the Frenchman, who has admitted that reaching the Finals is a "childhood dream come true." The odds also favor San Antonio, with many projections predicting a Spurs victory in seven games at around +310.

The 2026 NBA Finals will commence on Wednesday, June 3. San Antonio will have home-court advantage in Game 1.

Victor Wembanyama Isn't Worried About First Finals Appearance

The San Antonio Spurs are headed to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014. For the majority of the players, this will be their first time under the bright lights of the Finals. San Antonio is a young team, having an average age of 25.06 years old. The oldest player on their team is Harrison Barnes, who's only 34 years old. Nine of the Spurs players range from their early 20s to their late 20s.

Having that in mind, many are concerned that the Spurs' lack of experience might be their downfall heading into the finals. Victor Wembanyama is aware of the situation, but isn't stressing the idea.

In a recent interview with Malika Andrews, Wembanyama explained why their lack of experience shouldn't be seen as a weakness. "The lack of experience is a strength for us," he said. "Because we could do impossible stuff because we don't know it's impossible."

In other words, Wembanyma feels that the sky is the limit for himself and his teammates. They'll go all out, and the New York Knicks better watch out.

If the Spurs end up winning the finals this year, Wemby will become the sixth player in history to win the Defensive Player of the Year and an NBA title in one season.

The only five to ever do it were Michael Cooper, Dennis Rodman, Hakeem Olajuwon, Kevin Garnett, and Draymond Green.