Devin Vassell, a guard with the Spurs, read something in the locker room during a recent game that upset him. Nor was it a chilling excerpt from the most recent science fiction book that Victor Wembanyama, a teammate, was poring over.
In the middle of a heated game, WOAI-TV sports presenter Don Harris posted the following critique in real time on X, formerly Twitter:
“OKC is still in it because of low basketball IQ errors. Devin is guilty once more. Poor passes, misses, turnovers, and fouls. Spurs ahead 2 heading into the fourth.”
The incident serves as an example of what Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and other NBA observers believe to be a growing threat: players’ fixation with social media discourse regarding their on- and off-court exploits.
Speaking to players about the “negatives of social media” and emphasizing that they “don’t have to be slaves to it,” Popovich claimed the Spurs had brought in speakers to counteract it.
“They don’t have to live every moment wondering what somebody is saying to them, good or bad,” Popovich stated. “People don’t have to disclose when they wash their cars, eat, or use the restroom. It shouldn’t have any impact at all on their life.
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In an interview, Vassell stated that although responding to criticism on social media is not typically his style, he felt compelled to do so because Harris’ remarks were “just so outlandish.”
Vassell declared, “It’s clickbait.” “They’re eager to discuss (expletive). That’s just the way things are. However, that cannot deter us.”
