Victor Wembanyama’s season hit a brutal pause when deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder shut him down in February, cutting short a stretch that already looked like the start of something special. The Spurs got him back cleared and ready, and he looked every bit like the franchise centerpiece they had been building toward. Now, after starring in a grueling seven-game WCF series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Wembanyama’s passion moved Charles Barkley to the brink of tears.

Wembanyama made the postseason his singular focus with 23.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. When the final buzzer sounded in Game 7 against Oklahoma City, Wembanyama couldn’t hold back his emotions. San Antonio’s 12-year Finals drought ended, and he was the architect.

“The emotion that kid showed after Game 7 almost brought tears to my eyes. I was like, the NBA is in a great place having that kid as the face of our league for the next 20 years,” Charles Barkley told ESPN’s Mike Greenberg on Get Up.

“His emotion was so incredible. And then I watched the press conference, and he talked about how much winning meant to him. I was like, it made me so proud. It made me so proud that that guy is going to be the face of our league for the next 20 years.”

LeBron James hugged the Larry O’Brien trophy and cried after winning the 2016 NBA Finals. Jayson Tatum couldn’t hold back his emotions after the 2024 NBA Finals win. Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, and many more stars have brought out their emotions only when they reached the top.

For most of the NBA players, winning the Conference Finals is like preparing for the ultimate showdown. And therefore, they usually don’t tear up the way Victor Wembanyama did. That’s also because athletes are conditioned to control emotions publicly and to equate vulnerability with weakness. But the Spurs star is crashing into the “play through it ” norm. In fact, the 22-year-old’s impact was so strong that Charles Barkley got emotional previously as well.

In an early conversation on Mad Dog Sports Radio, the NBA legend said, “To see his emotion, crying the way he was, I’m like, ‘Man, this is so special and so awesome.’ And then after the press conference, he’s like, ‘I have to win. I’d rather die than lose.’ I’m like, ‘Damn.’ This is so great.”

Not all legends embraced Wembanyama’s emotional display. Kevin Garnett, who trained him, offered a contrasting view.

“He’s got to go through some bull****. He’s crying in the mother******* Western Conference Finals. That was too emotional for me,” KG blasted the 7’4″ star on Ticket & The Truth.

“Man, he got four more games to try to get. You’ve got to go through the Finals now. Nah, you’ve still gotta be even-keeled right here. And that [Western Conference] trophy, that ain’t what we’re [focused on]… that’s cool, yeah, we beat them, cool, but I got a whole other sight, and it’s up here.”

Garnett’s point stands: the Finals remain. But calling out Wembanyama for emotion seems overdrawn. What’s more interesting is that during the 2025 offseason, Kevin Garnett trained Wembanyama in one-on-one sessions. But to call out Victor Wembanyama for expressing himself seems like an overreach. Wembanyama refuses to apologize for his tears; he won’t hide his emotions.

Victor Wembanyama is transparent with his emotions

Right after winning Game 7 against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals, Wembanyama expressed what it meant to him to the media.

“Winning the Larry O’Brien is a childhood dream, and having a real shot at it, having a tangible chance at winning it, it’s a lifetime chance,” he said. “You never know when it’s gonna happen again. But the day we win it, speaking for myself, it’s going to be an amazing day, the realization of a dream.”

Moreover, this wasn’t the first time Victor Wembanyama broke down in tears after a crucial matchup. After losing the 2024 Paris Olympics Finals against Team USA, the then-20-year-old Wemby broke down. Both French stars Evan Fournier and Rudy Gobert consoled the star boy, who badly wanted to win Gold for his country. Even Wemby’s mother, Elodie, embraced her son as he cried.

Meanwhile, the San Antonio Spurs star broke down at the U19 FIBA World Cup Final in 2021. Team USA took the win home, as Chet Holmgren became the MVP of the tournament. That’s how the visible tiff between the two stars began.

Last December, when the Knicks took the NBA Cup home, Victor Wembanyama sat before the media, teary-eyed. Only this time, it wasn’t the loss that hurt him more. That morning, just before the game, his family informed Wemby that his grandmother had passed away.

Now, while Kevin Garnett doesn’t approve of Victor Wembanyama crying, Charles Barkley feels it’s extremely important. He is sure that the Spurs star is going to be the face of the league for the next 20 years. And it’s not just about the game, but the passion he has for it. His win-it-all mentality is driving him ahead through everything that the league is throwing his way.