San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama said he is “horrified” after two fatal shootings by immigration agents in Minnesota.
Intensive care nurse Alex Pretti, 37, and fellow Minnesota resident Renee Good, 37, have both been killed by federal agents in the city this month, sparking protests both locally and in other parts of the US.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation in the city ordered by US president Donald Trump’s administration has been going on for more than six weeks. ICE agents have the power to stop, detain and arrest people they suspect of being in the US illegally.
Frenchman Wembanyama said he was reluctant to speak out as he is not a citizen of the US and that the Spurs’ public relations team had advised against it.
“Yeah, PR has tried, but I’m not going to sit here and give some politically correct [answer],” Wembanyama said.
On Monday, the New York Knicks’ Guerschon Yabusele, who also hails from France, made a strong statement on X calling for the US government to “stop operating this way”.
Wembanyama, 22, praised his countryman for speaking out but said Yabusele’s words “might have some price right now”, adding that “each and every one of us has to decide the price we’re willing to pay”.
When asked whether he feared repercussions for speaking on the topic, Wembanyama said “for sure”.
“I read the news and sometimes I’m asking very deep questions about my own life,” he said.
“But I’m conscious also that saying everything that’s on my mind would have a cost that’s too great for me right now. So, I’d rather not get into too many details.
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