Spurs’ Wembanyama ‘horrified’ by Minneapolis reaction ‘like murder of civilians is acceptable’
Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanyama is "horrified" by the deaths of two American citizens in Minneapolis shot by masked federal agents.
The Frenchman implied the team's PR department had provided guidance about responding to questions around the flammable topic of federal agents filmed shooting two citizens in the streets of the city. No formal charges or details of local, state or federal investigations have been made public in either incident.
"PR has tried, but I'm not going to sit here and give some politically correct (answer)," Wembanyama said. "Every day I wake up and see the news and I'm horrified. I think that it's crazy that some people make it sound like it's acceptable, like the murder of civilians is acceptable."
The NBA postponed Saturday's scheduled game between the Golden State Warriors and Timberwolves in Minneapolis "to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community" after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was shot multiple times by a border patrol officer during a clash between agents and a small group of protestors. The incident occurred less than a 20-minute walk away from Target Center.
The teams played the game Sunday afternoon and again Monday at their regularly scheduled time.
Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has not shied away from sharing his thoughts on matters involving politics or human rights in the past and remained outspoken when asked about the Minneapolis incidents this month.
"It's not like they're rooting out violent criminals. They're taking 5-year-old kindergartners and U.S. citizens and detaining people. Immigration is a problem that needs to be addressed, but it needs to be addressed by Congress legislatively, not by military force in the streets, pulling people from their homes," Kerr said.
The Timberwolves held a moment of silence before the game in honor of Pretti, as they had two weeks earlier when an ICE agent shot 37-year-old Renee Good multiple times in her car as she attempted to move away from the scene of a confrontation.