Victor Wembanyama is putting a new spin on Lesley Gore’s 1963 hit, “It’s My Party.”
In it, she sings, “It’s my party, and I’ll cry if I want to.”
Wembanyama, 22, essentially said the same thing when he addressed fans who have criticized and mocked him for crying following emotional wins for the Spurs in an interview with French outlet L’Équipe.
The Spurs superstar recently received attention from fans who noticed him crying after a comeback victory over the Clippers last month.
On Tuesday, he was visibly emotional on the bench as San Antonio clinched its opening-round series in five games over the Trail Blazers.
When the French outlet asked Wemby about it, he had no problem defending his show of emotions.
“That’s a tough question. I think it’s first and foremost a fear of judgment,” he told L’Équipe reporter Maxime Aubin. “Like this feeling that you have to act a certain way, social codes, I guess. Personally, I refuse to carry the burden of having to hide my emotions.”
Wembanyama has become a massive star — both in his literal stature and popularity — through his first three seasons in the NBA.
During the postseason, he’s averaged 21 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.0 blocks through four games.
Blazers. Getty Images
As for the emotion after the win on Tuesday night, Wembanyama explained it as having felt like the Spurs had passed a “step.”
“It feels like a step passed, step 1 done. I’m personally happy to see things are moving forward in the right direction,” he said.
San Antonio is going through its first playoff run since the 2018-19 season, and it’s hard to imagine any Spurs fan having any issue with the big man’s emotional displays as the team keeps winning.
The Spurs will face the winner of the Nuggets-Timberwolves series.
