Spurs In The Hot Seat! NBA All-Star’s Cheating Allegations Put San Antonio Under the Microscope
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul made headlines after they were disqualified from the NBA Skills Challenge on Saturday night. One competitor believes what they did was “cheating,” though, even if they “played by the rules.”
Wembanyama and Paul, who were part of Team Spurs for the contest, got disqualified after they exploited the rules. The Skills Challenge has three stages, with the final part requiring them to shoot the ball. However, since the goal of the competition is to record the fastest time possible, the San Antonio duo opted to simply toss the balls without attempting to shoot them.
It was later revealed that Wemby asked some officials on the court if the strategy was allowed, and while he got the nod that they could simply throw the ball and use all three required shot attempts, it eventually came back to bite them.
Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell, who gave a thumbs down to Team Spurs over its strategy, spoke about Wembanyama and Paul’s attempt to “hack” the contest. Mitchell’s Team Cavs won the Skills Challenge.
“They played to win,” Mitchell said of Wemby and CP3. “They played by the rules. That was definitely cheating, though,” he added while smiling.
To be fair, it’s not a surprise the NBA disqualified Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul. Had they let it go, it would have set a precedent in the Skills Challenge, and it’s possible other players would use the same strategy.
Whether or not it’s cheating, though, is up to a person’s interpretation. After all, Wemby and Paul did believe they found a legal loophole.
