By Mike Finger | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-01-27 16:49:24
圣安东尼奥马刺队前锋维克托·文班亚马 (Victor Wembanyama) 在2026年1月19日星期一，于圣安东尼奥对阵犹他爵士队的NBA篮球比赛前，身穿纪念马丁·路德·金日的T恤。(美联社照片/埃里克·盖伊)
维克托·文班亚马在心里盘算了一番，就像我们每个人每一天都会做的那样。
他权衡了对自己而言重要的一切。他考量了他人可能的看法。他计算了自己的良知能够容忍他沉默到何种地步。
他掂量了自己发声的力量，也衡量了发声可能付出的代价。
然后，这位22岁的法国人明确表示他只代表自己发声，这也为那些早已得出自己结论的公关专家们打好了掩护。
“公关团队努力过了，”文班亚马在周二马刺队训练后说道，“但我不会坐在这里，说什么‘政治正确’的场面话。”
他知道这个问题迟早会来。本月，37岁的母亲蕾妮·古德 (Renee Good) 和37岁的护士亚历克斯·普雷蒂 (Alex Pretti) 不幸离世后，明尼阿波利斯的骚乱导致一场森林狼队的比赛延期，NBA球员协会也发表声明，称其“与明尼苏达州那些为争取正义而抗议、甚至冒着生命危险的人们站在一起”。
但当你作为球员协会中凤毛麟角的几位天才球员之一，并且魅力四射，足以成为联盟的下一位门面人物时，人们对你的期待会更多。
即便这只是简单地陈述一个你认为是显而易见的真理。
又或者，尤其当你认为这是一个显而易见的真理时。
“我每天醒来看新闻都感到不寒而栗，”文班亚马说。“我觉得，竟然有人把这说得好像可以接受一样，仿佛谋杀平民是可以接受的，这太疯狂了。”
在更单纯的年代，这句话里的任何一个字眼都不会引起争议。但考虑到当今的时局，由一位手握数百万美元代言合同、并且是美国最引人注目的外籍人士之一说出这样的话，无疑是值得关注的。
有一种观点认为，文班亚马享有极大的特权，而这种特权使他能免于承受其他说出类似真话的访客可能遭遇的任何后果。
但文班亚马自己能确定情况就是如此吗？他能仅仅因为自己正帮助那些亿万富翁美国球队老板日进斗金，就理所当然地认为自己是不可动摇的吗？在周二一次坦诚的交流中，他承认自己对此也无法确定。
“我的意思是，我读着新闻，有时会对自己的人生提出一些非常深刻的问题，”文班亚马说。“但我也意识到，把我脑子里所有的想法都说出来，在现阶段对我来说代价太大了。”
“我知道我是个外国人。我生活在这个国家。我确实很担心。”
这让文班亚马的话语更具分量。这也让其他球员——以及其他百万富翁、其他公司和其他领袖们——的相对沉默显得愈发刺眼。
或许文班亚马只是太过年轻、太过天真，以至于在他进行权衡时，并未完全理解所有潜在的影响。
但也或许，他认识到了太多其他人没有认识到的东西。或许他认识到，如果你因为害怕而不敢就你认为是显而易见的真理发表平实的评论，那么无论如何，你都已经输了。
他周二的言论会引来负面反响。格雷格·波波维奇 (Gregg Popovich) 本可以就此警告过他，而且很可能已经这么做了。
然而，人们谈论得不够多的是，文班亚马——以及马刺队和整个NBA——能从他展现自己立场中获得什么。人们喜欢他们能够信赖的超级巨星。人们喜欢那些参与到周遭世界中来的超级巨星。人们喜欢那些有胆识、有骨气，敢于说出“公关团队努力过了”，然后告诉你他们真实想法的超级巨星。
再次强调，这个决定并非文班亚马所独有。每一天，我们每一个人都可以进行同样的权衡，然后找到那个能让自己心安理得、安然入睡的答案。
很有可能，今晚的文班亚马将高枕无忧。
New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson (1) is pressured by San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) and forward Keldon Johnson (3) as he tries to score during the second half of an NBA basketball game in San Antonio, Sunday, Jan. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama bring the ball upcourt against the Utah Jazz during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Thursday, Jan. 22, 2026, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rob Gray)
由生成式人工智能翻译，译文内容可能不准确或不完整，以原文为准。
点击查看原文：Victor Wembanyama still speaks his mind despite the consequences
Victor Wembanyama still speaks his mind despite the consequences
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama wears a T-shirt in honor of MLK Day before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz in San Antonio, Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Victor Wembanyama did the math, just like every single one of us does, every single day.
He added up what matters to him. He considered what others might think. He calculated how much his conscience would allow him to abide in silence.
He weighed the power of his own voice, and he measured that against the potential price of using it.
Then, providing cover for the public relations professionals who’d reached their own determination, the 22-year-old Frenchman made it clear he was speaking for himself.
“PR has tried,” Wembanyama said after the Spurs practiced Tuesday, “but I’m not going to sit here and (be) politically correct.”
He knew the question was coming. After the deaths of 37-year-old mother Renee Good and 37-year-old nurse Alex Pretti this month, unrest in Minneapolis led to the postponement of a Timberwolves game, and the NBA Players Association releasing a statement saying it stands “in solidarity with the people in Minnesota protesting and risking their lives to demand justice.”
But when you’re one of a select few members of that players association who is talented and charismatic enough to be the next face of the league, people expect a little more from you.
Even when it’s as simple as telling what you believe to be an obvious truth.
And perhaps especially when you believe it to be an obvious truth.
“Every day I wake up and see the news and I’m horrified,” Wembanyama said. “I think it’s crazy that some people make it sound like it’s acceptable, like the murder of civilians is acceptable.”
In simpler times, nothing in that last sentence would be controversial. But given the state of affairs today, it’s undeniably noteworthy that such a sentence was uttered by a man who makes millions of dollars in endorsements, and who is one of the most conspicuous foreign nationals in the United States.
There is a train of thought that Wembanyama is incredibly privileged, and that his privilege immunizes him from any consequences that might befall other visitors who speak similar truths.
But does Wembanyama know for sure that is the case? Can he just assume he’s untouchable because he’s helping make billionaire American team owners richer by the day? In a moment of candor Tuesday, he admitted that he can’t be certain of any of that.
“I mean, I read the news and sometimes I’m asking very deep questions about my own life,” Wembanyama said. “But I’m conscious also that saying everything that’s on my mind would have a cost that’s too great for me right now.
“I know I’m a foreigner. I live in this country. I am concerned for sure.”
That makes Wembanyama’s words matter more. It also makes the relative silence of other players — and other millionaires, and other companies, and other leaders — all the more glaring.
Maybe Wembanyama is just too young and too naïve to have understood all the potential repercussions when he was doing his math.
But maybe he recognizes what too many others don’t. Maybe he recognizes that if you’re too scared to matter-of-factly comment on what you believe to be an obvious truth, you’ve already lost, anyway.
He’ll get blowback for what he said Tuesday. Gregg Popovich could have warned him all about that, and probably did.
What people don’t talk enough about, though, is what Wembanyama — and the Spurs, and the NBA — can gain from showing he stands for something. People like superstars they can believe. People like superstars who participate in the world around them. People like superstars with the gumption and the backbone to say, “PR has tried,” and then tell you what they actually think.
Again, this decision isn’t unique to Wembanyama. Every single day, every single one of us can do the same math, and then come up with the answer that lets us sleep at night.
Chances are, tonight Wembanyama will sleep just fine.
By Mike Finger, via San Antonio Express-News