Stephen A. Smith has changed his tune on one of the NBA’s biggest debates, and Victor Wembanyama is the reason why.
After previously saying an international player could not be the face of the league, Smith now says Wembanyama holds that spot for the moment. When asked who he believes is the face of the NBA, Smith said, "Believe it or not, I think at this particular moment in time, it's Victor Wembanyama."
That kind of turnabout says plenty about how fast Wembanyama’s influence has grown. He’s not just the player Spurs fans have been waiting for since Kawhi Leonard was traded. He’s forcing people who were skeptical to rethink what they thought they knew.
Back in February 2025, Smith drew a hard line on the idea of a non-American leading the league’s image. "I don't believe an international player can be the face of the NBA. I know they're globally iconic figures; their popularity extends globally, but the NBA is an American-born sport."
Wembanyama has made that argument harder to hold onto. His game is unlike anything else in the league: a hyper-competitive 7'4" force who can dominate at both ends and isn’t shy about the messy parts either, whether that means diving for loose balls or stepping in as an enforcer. That mix has made him impossible to ignore.
He’s also helped push one of the league’s most decorated franchises back into the conversation. After years of rebuilding, the Spurs are again a legitimate championship contender, and opponents are now building rosters with one goal in mind: finding a way to slow him down.
The clearest sign of Wembanyama’s rise has been how often he’s shut down doubts. Early on, people questioned whether his frame could handle the grind. He answered that by carrying a heavy two-way load during a deep 2026 playoff run that ended with San Antonio reaching the Finals for the first time in over a decade.
Last season, he also made his case for MVP, even as some critics tried to minimize his offensive value. That talk has faded, too, as his ability to create gravity for teammates has become one of the defining parts of his game.
So Smith’s reversal is just the latest sign of how far Wembanyama has come. Credit where it’s due: he changed his opinion when the evidence got too strong to ignore. But four years into his career, Wembanyama is still doing what he does best - blocking narrative after narrative as if they were shots.
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