Victor Wembanyama Leaves Reporter Hanging Days After Warning From NBA for Skipping Media

After a couple of days of going silent, Victor Wembanyama showed up to Game 6 on Thursday with a purpose. The San Antonio Spurs successfully forced a Game 7 after beating the Oklahoma City Thunder, 118-91.

Before Game 6, many took issue with Wembanyama skipping out on his media obligations. He skipped Tuesday's postgame press conference and dodged the media during their free day. Finally, after Thursday night's conclusion, an NBC reporter got hold of Wembanyama, only to find him fleeing from the interview.

"I can't say why, we just are, but we haven't done nothing yet," Wembanyama told the reporter when asked if the Spurs are built for big moments.

The interviewer then asked about how San Antonio pulled off holding Oklahoma to 13 points in the third quarter.

"Trust in the coaches and play with effort, thank you," Wembanyama said, then immediately ran off to the dugout.

While the Spurs center technically fulfilled his obligations to the media this time around, he didn't seem too keen on answering too many questions.

This awkward moment came just two days after the NBA officially warned him for skipping his media duties. Following a brutal Game 5 loss on Tuesday, Wembanyama left the arena without speaking to the press.

Because reporters recently voted him the NBA's most media-friendly player, the league let him off the hook with a warning instead of a standard $25,000 fine.

Given that he technically accommodated the NBC reporter on Thursday, Wemby should have fulfilled his obligation to the media. It seems that the towering Frenchman is locked and loaded for Game 7 and would like to remain laser-focused.

Victor Wembanyama's Game 6 Resurgence Forces Game 7 Against Thunder

After a terrible Game 5 performance on Tuesday, Victor Wembanyama came back stronger. After 28 minutes of play, Wemby posted 28 points, 10 rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.

He shot a much better 47.6% from the field, compared to his poor 26.6% accuracy on Tuesday. The Spurs center also managed to drain four 3-pointers, a huge improvement from missing all attempts last game.

While Wemby's court presence was a contributing factor to the Spurs' dominant victory, it also helped that they managed to suppress Shai Gilgeous-Alexander from popping off.

The defense stepped up and completely shut him down. SGA was held to just 15 points and four assists on a poor 6-of-18 shooting night. He didn't look like the reigning season MVP at all.

Wembanyama did eventually sit down for his official postgame press conference. There, he gave a much more thoughtful answer about playing with his back against the wall.

"It erases all the little mistakes that we do that are human nature," Wemby said. "Whether it’s in the regular season or previous games, you just gotta fight that all the time. And when your back’s against the wall, it feels like the best opportunity to do that."

Game 7 will be held in Oklahoma, putting the Spurs at a disadvantage. However, given that San Antonio took Game 1 in OKC, the Spurs pulling it off again isn't entirely out of the question.