Spurs center Victor Wembanyama’s name is often shortened to Wemby. Basketball Reference also lists “The Extraterrestrial,” “Vic” and “Alien” as nicknames, the latter being how LeBron James described the phenom in 2022, a year before he made his NBA debut.
Thanks to the good people of New York, we can add another nickname to the growing list: “Tall Sugar.”
San Antonio arrived at Madison Square Garden this morning for their third matchup of the year with the Knicks, a showdown between two aspiring NBA Finals contenders (and a rematch of December’s NBA Cup final). Wemby’s sheer arrival at the World’s Most Famous Arena drew some incredible reactions.
He drew oohs and ahs as he walked into the arena, with one onlooker declaring Wembanyama their “favorite,” and another exclaiming the instantly iconic, “Boy you is TALL sugar.”
Everyone's amazed as Wemby arrives at MSG 😁 pic.twitter.com/tmqgASFu2v
— NBA (@NBA) March 1, 2026
Nothing to disagree with there.
Wembanyama has upped his game once again in 2025–26, averaging 29.4 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game. He’s firmly in the MVP conversation as the Spurs have run out to a 43–16 record and are just one game behind the first-place Thunder in the loss column in the Western Conference.
In the NBA Cup final on Dec. 16, Wembanyama came off the bench as he worked back from a calf strain, scoring 18 points and snagging six rebounds in 25 minutes in what ended as a Knicks win. Two weeks later, the Spurs won a regular season rematch in San Antonio, 134–132, with Wemby scoring 31 points and grabbing 13 rebounds in just 24 minutes.
He’ll look to make his mark at MSG on Sunday, as so many NBA superstars have throughout the years. The Spurs and Knicks tip off at 1 p.m. ET on ABC.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Victor Wembanyama Inspired Perfect Reaction From Bystanders While Walking Into MSG to Play Knicks.
