In a recent interview with reporters, San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama said he’s “horrified” after two civilians were killed in Minnesota by federal agents.
“PR has tried, but I'm not going to sit here and give some politically correct… Every day I wake up and see the news, and I'm horrified,” said the 22-year-old French NBA star. “I think that it's crazy that some people make it sound like it's acceptable. The murder, like, the murder of civilians is acceptable, you know. I read the news, and sometimes I'm asking very deep questions about my own life. But you know, I'm conscious also that saying everything that's on my mind would have a cause that's too great for me right now. So I'd rather not get into too many details.”
Wembanyama was asked if he’s worried about there being any potential repercussions for speaking his mind, and he said that he felt he has to be careful as a foreigner living in America. “For sure, it's terrible,” he continued. “I know I'm a foreigner, I live in this country. I am concerned, for sure.”
Last week, federal agents fatally shot 37-year-old intensive care nurse Alex Pretti in an incident that has further intensified anti-ICE protests in Minnesota in the wake of the killing of 37-year-old Renée Good. The shootings, which also postponed a Timberwolves-Warriors game due to protests, have drawn widespread backlash, including from former president Barack Obama.
“The killing of Alex Pretti is a heartbreaking tragedy,” Obama wrote in a statement co-authored with former First Lady Michelle Obama. “It should also be a wake-up call to every American, regardless of party, that many of our core values as a nation are increasingly under assault. … This has to stop."