Everybody Hates Wemby

How did Victor Wembanyama speed run a Decision-level fall from grace?

The Knicks upsetting the Spurs in these NBA Finals spotlights New York’s long dormant power. I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say that the championship victory qualifies as one of the biggest cultural events in that storied city’s history. From afar, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen this scale of “collective effervescence.” What just happened in New York City evokes old photographs of V-J Day in Times Square.

Related to this is what also happened to the reputation of Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama. Here’s a take: I think those of us who work in sports might underestimate the degree to which Wemby became hated in America over a couple weeks. How the hell did this happen in the post-monoculture era?