In professional sports, wearing emotions on one’s sleeve is usually frowned upon. Victor Wembanyama, for one, simply refuses “to carry the burden of having to hide my emotions.” So, when the San Antonio Spurs won 116-112 over the LA Clippers in a regular-season game back in March, he didn’t mind showing his human side after a hard-fought comeback win. Naturally, he had to cry going into his first NBA Finals after a grueling 7-game series against the OKC Thunder.

Of course, not everyone appreciated that side of the Frenchman. Stephen Curry, breaking down on the court after the 2022 championship, and LeBron James, tearing up after the historic 2016 championship, are the memories they remember. They hit different. But NBA Hall of Famer Charles Barkley didn’t take these tears for granted either.

“But to see his emotion, crying the way he was, I’m like, ‘Man, this is so special. It’s so awesome,” Barkley said on Mad Dog Sports Radio.

OKC threw everything at him, although Chet Holmgren could not do much against the Frenchman, Isaiah Hartenstein showed some signs of resistance against Wemby. However, it was not enough in the end as the Spurs secured the win in Game 7 and moved to their first NBA Finals appearance since 2014. The journey to get to the grandest stage seemed to have been on Wembanyama’s mind as tears rolled down his face. Speaking at the presser, he revealed the weight behind those tears.

“I want to win so bad, it’s like my life depends on it.”

This was not the first time the young star showed emotions on the court. During a regular-season game against the LA Clippers, the San Antonio Spurs were 25 points down at one point. However, it was Wembanyama who once again put the team on his shoulders, scoring 27 points while grabbing 10 rebounds, which led to a 116-112 win. But those tears had a reason behind them.

This was the franchise’s second-largest comeback since the 1996-97 season. And although it was just a regular-season game, Wemby was emotional in his post-game press conference.

“That’s close to being the hardest game of my life,” said the Defensive Player of the Year.

While the star player continued putting on impressive performances throughout the season, it was what he said at the All-Star games that particularly impressed Charles Barkley.

“Going back to what he did at the All-Star game, which had turned into a joke,” Barkley said. “He was like, ‘If you guys don’t play, I’m gonna be pissed, I’m just gonna kick your ass.’ He was so great at the All-Star weekends.”

While many refrained from playing defense during the event, Wemby showed up and played hard, posting 33 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks in the combined games. This effort ultimately fueled the competition, and a spectacle better than previous years was presented to the fans.

Wemby’s first trip to the NBA Finals is the first one for the Spurs post the Tim Duncan era. Even his first Finals appearance in 1999 came against the Knicks in his sophomore year. The only difference between the journeys is that this is Wemby’s third season.

The Spurs will be hoping all those emotions come to play when the team faces off against the Knicks. This will be the Knicks’ first Finals since 1999. Speaking on the same show, Barkley stated the 2026 Finals matchup was great for the league.

“You got the Knicks in the Finals. I’m so glad we’re gonna get to do the games,” Barkley said. “But for Adam Silver, this is a dream matchup to get the Knicks against Victor. This is gonna be great, man. I cannot wait to watch.”

While Barkley showed his appreciation for Wembanyama’s emotions, a Boston Celtics legend, however, took exception.

Kevin Garnett slams Victor Wembanyama’s emotional reaction

Ironically, Kevin Garnett himself had an emotional outburst on an NBA court. After winning the 2008 Championship, the Celtics forward screamed, “Anything is possible,” multiple times before breaking into tears.

But the issue with the former champion was that he wasn’t pleased with Wemby crying after winning the Conference Finals. He felt that the big man had to secure four more wins to get the ultimate reward.

“You got to go through the Finals now. You still have to stay even-keeled right here. And that [West] trophy, that ain’t what we’re focused on,” Garnett said in his podcast show KG Certified. “That’s cool, yeah, we beat them, cool, but I got a whole other sight [championship], and it’s up here. It’s going to take my energy to run up this hill.”

Criticisms on the emotional side aren’t anything new for Wemby. At the time, he didn’t seem bothered to change himself either. Now, with the Finals in front of us, the spotlight will only intensify. And the NBA World is set to have an emotional ride in the coming days. But we all know, win or lose, Wembanyama will continue playing and acting in his own ways:

“I refuse to carry the burden of having to hide my emotion.”