Victor Wembanyama's tears are ‘worthy’ after stunning road Game 7 win vs. Thunder, says ex-NFL star

Victor Wembanyama's tears are ‘worthy’ after stunning road Game 7 win vs. Thunder, says ex-NFL star  originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

>Victor Wembanyama was overcome with emotion after the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 7 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder, shedding tears as he secured his first-ever trip to the NBA Finals. While some criticized his visible emotional reaction, former NFL player Emmanuel Acho came to his defense on the “Speakeasy” podcast.

>Acho argued that such passion should be embraced rather than mocked.

>“We need to see more emotion in sports, especially from our superstars,” Acho said. “We also need to act like winning means something again. For a 22-year-old in his third year in the NBA to not only beat the referees, but also beat the reigning MVP and do it in OKC, that is of supreme significance. Nobody legitimately gave the Spurs a chance, particularly after watching what Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and them did to the Lakers.

>“Beating SGA and Thunder in seven on the road at 22, that is worthy of crying over. Obviously, the job's not done, but Wemby's tears are not going to inhibit Wemby from winning four more games. It's not like Wemby's tears are going to be the contributing factor to them potentially losing to the Knicks. The crying is irrelevant as it pertains to the next series.”

>After the final buzzer, Wembanyama was seen crying, shouting, and embracing teammates on the court. The emotional outpouring reflected the significance of his first playoff run, which ended with the Spurs reaching the Finals in just his third season and returning to that stage for the first time since their 2014 championship.

>Following the game, Wembanyama described the achievement as deeply personal, even calling it “almost like the meaning of my life.” He also admitted he had not experienced such intense emotions in a long time. He finished Game 7 with 22 points and 7 rebounds and was named Western Conference Finals MVP.

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