Victor Wembanyama is leaving social media

French prodigy calls out social media for negativity

Social media has long been the go-to channel to pass information or interact with one another. So often we see people from all walks of life seeking some adrenaline and validation from social media, which has contributed largely to our daily social interactions.

But just like any other thing, social media has its shortcomings and people have complained about various things on social media that have come out to haunt their good time. The latest victim in this is none other than Victor Wembanyama.

At just 19 years old, Wembanyama is already a star in the sports world. Wembanyama is physically capable of ruling on both ends of the court. He is 7’4″ tall and has a wingspan of almost 8 feet. But his talent and overall playing style are what has set him apart.

As a result of the buzz surrounding him, his skills on the court have won him admiration from all over the world. 20 years later after LeBron James, he is one of the best prospects in basketball history. This places him at the top of the list of players eligible for the NBA draft in 2023, and Wembanyama is expected to be selected first overall on June 22.

See also

Sports

Man Utd star with two Champions League medals declared Bankrupt

With such a resume at a young age, everything can be overwhelming sometimes. All these highlights one acquires fans along the way and social media is the capital of all media buzz. Although social media is the go-to for most people, Victor projected his disappointment with social media and he is keeping a deliberate distance from it.

In an interview with First Team where they were asking him how he responds to online criticism, including what they claimed were some unfavourable remarks from American NBA experts questioning his ability, the hosts wanted to know how he gets to manoeuvre past that.

Wembanyama responded by saying that since he became famous, the social media hate has been detrimental to his mental well-being.

Responding in French, Victor said,” I thought that I was totally immune to that for the past two years when everything started to be viral from time to time. When I was browsing on social media, I saw the haters and was like Ok, I don’t care.

But still, for the last few months, since the beginning of last season, I have almost completely left.

I unfollowed a lot of basketball-themed accounts on Instagram. I almost completely left basketball on social media, actually. And I realized that I was doing better.
I thought that I was doing well, but I’m actually doing better without all this negativity even if this negativity isn’t about me.”

His biggest concern was mostly Twitter which he termed ‘the landmark of negativity on earth!’ He said, “ I see horrible takes and disgusting statements. it’s especially Twitter, the landmark of negativity on earth.

I did realize that I was doing better. It’s something that I care about, but I can live without social media. I don’t mind.”

Looks like social media is actually taking a toll on the young athlete but that does not seem to hinder his upward trajectory. He is determined to overcome everything that comes his way since he got his eyes set on the ultimate prize, the NBA and everything else is just a distraction.

Even though he might be leaving social media, that won’t stop haters from scrutinizing him. Perhaps he should put on a strong armour to shield him from all the negative comments from the world especially when it comes to his body build which has been a major topic of discussion lately.