Victor Wembanyama takes savage shot at LeBron James’ controversial $15M business deal – ‘It’s very sad’
Victor Wembanyama has made it clear he does not approve of LeBron James’ latest endorsement deal and insisted he ‘will never’ do the same.
James announced last month he had moved from DraftKings to Polymarket, agreeing a deal with the prediction market company that Front Office Sports claims is worth $15million-a-year, a figure dwarfing the $3.8million he will earn playing for the Philadelphia 76ers for the 2026-27 season.
James is not the only NBA superstar to openly promote sports betting and prediction market companies, with Kevin Durant working with FanDuel and an investor in Kalshi, who welcomed Giannis Antetokounmpo as a shareholder in February.
But San Antonio Spurs star Wembanyama says it is ‘sad’ that athletes are using their platforms to promote sports betting and insists it is something he will never even consider.
‘Absolutely not. I will never do that,’ the French superstar told reporters.
‘Honestly, I think it’s very sad to see some players promote it. …Everybody does whatever they want, but without me.’
Victor Wembanyama insists he ‘will never’ promote gambling or prediction market companies
LeBron James has faced criticism after he recently agreed a $15M-a-year deal with Polymarket
He was asked what goes into considering what endorsement deals to accept and continued: ‘In the past, there was a dimension of money. Not anymore.
‘Even if I said that, I’ve refused plenty, much, much more money than I’ve made for things that were not [in line with] my values.
‘And now, I want to promote things that have a good impact, have a good influence with who I can share messages and values.
‘Obviously, we earn millions and millions. This is not our biggest strength. Our biggest strength is inspiring. I want to inspire in a good way. That’s the strongest thing I can do.’
Wembanyama has deals with Nike, Louis Vuitton, 2K Sports, Fanatics and others but has taken a hard stance before, refusing to do deals with soda brands because he believes they are unhealthy.
‘We’re not gonna mix his image with sodas like Coca-Cola,’ his agent Jérémy Medjana told The Athletic. ‘They all want him, but Victor will never sell soda. Because he doesn’t want to kill the kids.’
Even Adam Silver, the NBA commissioner, noted Wembanyama’s interest in basketball over business deals.
‘I think what Victor understands is not to be distracted by all of the fanfare around his career,’ Silver told The Athletic.
Wembanyama has taken a strict stance on deals before, refusing offers from soda companies
James’ Polymarket deal focuses only on football so it does not clash with his NBA interests
‘Because he will be defined by championships, not by commercial opportunities or the platform he has to speak out on issues he cares about.’
James’ new role with Polymarket has drawn plenty of criticism, while comments he made in November 2023 regarding fans gambling resurfaced after his announcement.
‘It’s kind of taken some of the integrity out of the game,’ James said at the time. ‘It’s weird that some of our regular fans that love the game kind of only care about a parlay now.’
James’ deal, like with DraftKings, focuses strictly on football with no conflict with his NBA interests. But Wembanyama is clearly among those who still do not approve.