French NBA player Victor Wembanyama said Tuesday he was “horrified” by the death of two American citizens, killed in Minneapolis (north) by federal agents on the sidelines of anti-immigration operations launched by Donald Trump.
“I see the information and am horrified,” replied the San Antonio Spurs pivot, interviewed on the sidelines of his team’s training.
He called it “crazy that people are trying to pretend that murdering civilians is acceptable,” while some in the US government have defended the agents involved.
The French star, however, was cautious: “Saying everything I have in mind would have too high a cost for me at the moment, so I do not prefer to go into details. »
“I’m a foreigner living in this country, I’m worried, that’s for sure,” added Wembanyama, who assured that this partly explained his hesitation to speak further on the subject.
At the forefront during the demonstrations “ Black Lives Matter » during the first term of Donald Trump, the world of the NBA was initially rather discreet about the situation in Minneapolis, reacting almost not after the death on January 7 of a first American in Minneapolis, Renee Good, 37, killed by the shots of a federal agent.
But the death on Saturday of Alex Pretti, also killed by gunfire from federal agents and whose death videos were widely shared on social networks, sparked the reaction of several major players, like the leader of the Indiana Pacers, Tyrese Haliburton, for whom this 37-year-old nurse “was assassinated”.
Asked at a press conference on Monday, Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell said that “the situation was getting out of control.” “We need to figure out how to fix this before it becomes the norm,” he said.
The same day, the players’ union (NBPA) released a statement in “solidarity with Minnesotans who are protesting and risking their lives to demand justice” following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
