San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama reportedly rejected millions from Coca-Cola and other soda companies to avoid promoting unhealthy drinks to kids who look up to him.
An explosive report from The Athletic’s Jared Weiss details the lengths to which Wemby and his camp will go to safeguard his image from brands they deem harmful.
“Before Wembanyama made the NBA, he was turning down marketing deals in the millions from beverage companies and living off his approximately $150,000 salary with his French club,” wrote Weiss, a beat writer for the Spurs.
“Sodas, skin care, you name it. They all wanted him, but he declined.”
Wemby Won’t ‘Kill the Kids’
Wemby’s longtime agent, Jeremy Medjana—who has represented him since he was a 13-year-old prodigy—offered more context.
“We’re not gonna mix his image with sodas like Coca-Cola,” Medjana said.
“They all want him, but Victor will never sell soda. Because he doesn’t want to kill the kids.”
Weiss, who has covered Wembanyama since his rookie season, highlighted that the Frenchman routinely refuses to start news conferences until bottles of Gatorade—the NBA’s longest-tenured marketing partner—are removed from the table.
“When Wembanyama approaches the podium after games and still sees the two Gatorade bottles framing the microphone, he hits the brakes,” added Weiss.
“He won’t sit down until PR has snatched them away. When he took his seat before they could be removed earlier this year, he said, “Oh, hell no! Who put that there?” as he threw them under the table.”
Wemby and Ethical Hoops
Last December, Wembanyama said he was proud to associate with the Spurs as the franchise’s morals and beliefs align with his own. The 7-footer said he and his teammates plan to play “pure and ethical basketball,” which many perceived as a shot at teams around the league that engage in flopping and foul-baiting.
Some analysts feel Wemby’s comments were also directed at some of his peers who choose to endorse brands he despises.
“While many young basketball stars binge through endorsement deals like candy and flood their socials, Wembanyama’s camp deliberately limited his exposure as he was rising through the ranks,” wrote Weiss.
Medjana added that he and his team didn’t want to burden Wemby with too many media obligations that come with signing with more brands.
“The philosophy is, we don’t want him to be too distracted. We want him to stay focused, and this is why he did not sign too many deals,” Medjana said.
“If you sign too many deals, then you cannot stay focused on the main goal to be better, to get rest, to get treatment.”
Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs will host the New York Knicks in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday night. After losing home-court advantage with the Game 1 loss, the Western Conference champions are massive 6.5-point favorites to tie up the series.
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama Turned Down Millions to Not ‘Kill the Kids’