Victor Wembanyama Skipping NBA Protocol Is Not Good for His ‘Face of the League’ Reputations, Says Chris Broussard

Following the events in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, Victor Wembanyama has chosen to skip his media availability. The San Antonio Spurs suffered a major loss on Tuesday when the Oklahoma City Thunder took a 3-2 series lead. San Antonio is now one game away from elimination.

After Game 5 concluded, it was reported that Wembanyama immediately left the building, clearly frustrated by the turn of events. Sports analyst Chris Broussard said on Wednesday that Wemby's dodging of the media might not do him any good, especially now that he's one of the top NBA stars.

"It’s not good. He is the face of the league," Broussard said. "I think that he has to understand, like, somebody needs to sit him down and say, 'You are the face of the league. That's part of the job.' Not even just as face of the league, as an NBA player, any professional athlete, it's tough, but after tough losses, after great wins, whatever it is, you have to go and answer the questions in front of the media."

During the postgame press conference on Tuesday, Wembanyama was nowhere to be found. No reporter has managed to get a quote from the towering Frenchman regarding his thoughts on Game 5 and the upcoming Game 6.

Regardless of whatever Wemby is feeling right now, he has to lock in for Thursday's game. Fortunately for the Spurs, they will have home-court advantage. This could give them the edge to hopefully tie the series and force a Game 7.

Why is Victor Wembanyama Frustrated?

Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals was arguably Victor Wembanyama's worst performance yet. There was no chance of keeping up with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 32-point game after Wemby's poor shooting display on Tuesday.

The Spurs center shot only 26.6% from the field and missed all of his 3-point shot attempts. Wembanyama is known to be a competitive individual, so it's understandable that he would be frustrated with his performance against OKC.

While Wemby's teammate, Stephon Castle, partly blames poor officiating for the Spurs' loss, he expects his star center to step up on Thursday.

"Trying to play through it, you know. It's tough," Castle said. "I just think with the way (the Thunder) guard, how physical they are, we don't get that same luxury to be able to play as physical on the other end at times."

"I think they send so many bodies toward him," Castle added about Wemby. "It’s hard at times. I think he just wants to make the right play and wants to win, so it’s tough. But he’s our best player, so yeah, we need him to be aggressive."

Sports journalist Shannon Sharpe also noted that if Wembanyama performs as he did in Game 5, the Spurs might be eliminated on Thursday.

"If Wemby plays like he did (in Game 5), there will not be a Game 7," Sharpe said. "It's really that simple. … He's getting tired. You know why? He can't get a breather. … He's not able to get his normal allotment of rest because the game starts to creep away from him. That's the issue."

What San Antonio needs right now is the Game 1 version of Wembanyama. Looking at their first game in the series, Wemby destroyed the Thunder with a massive double-double performance. He put up 41 points and 24 rebounds.

While the Spurs' victory in Game 1 wasn't a cakewalk, it's still impressive how calm and composed Wemby was throughout six quarters of play. If he could channel the same energy and mindset from the first game, then San Antonio might be able to secure Game 6.