Jalen Brunson was impressed with the effort Wembanyama brought to the All-Star festivities.
Despite what seemed like a rocky beginning, the 2026 All-Star Game was a smashing success. The NBA was looking to infuse new excitement into an event that had appeared to have grown stale and to do that the league introduced a radical new format of "USA vs. The World."
Instead of one All-Star game between the best of the Eastern and Western Conferences, there was instead a three game round-robin tournament between two teams of American-born All-Stars and one team of internationally-born All-Stars.
The NBA did this to hopefully inspire the players to take the event more seriously than they have in year's past and it's safe to say that effect was achieved.
Team USA Stripes guard Jalen Brunson (11) of the New York Knicks controls the ball against Team World forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) of the New York Knicks in game three during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesWembanyama's Impact and Brunson's Reaction
All three teams looked locked in on the court and it produced some all-time All-Star moments, like when Scottie Barnes sank a buzzer-beating game winner to power Team USA Stripes over the powerhouse Team World.
San Antonio Spurs' star Victor Wembanyama was visibly upset after the loss and the growing consensus after the weekend is that it was Wembanyama's passion that set the tone for the rest of the All-Stars to play hard and bring their best to the event.
Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards was the first to say that Wembanyama pushed the rest of the players to do their best and when asked, New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson was inclined to agree and had some high praise for Wembanyama.
"I think Wemby’s a leader. The way he carries himself is fantastic for this game. I think he’s done a great job, and you see what his impact is on and off the court around this game. He’s just doing what he does," Brunson said (via Joshua Valdez of Athlon Sports).
What Wembanyama Can Do for the Future of the League
The passion that Wembanyama brought to All-Star weekend was not only great news for the success of the event, it's great news for what Wembanyama can bring to the future of the league.
As one of the most highly-touted draft prospects in recent memory and now one of the best players in the league, there's a lot of attention on Wembanyama as a future face of the league, if he isn't one already.
Team World center Victor Wembanyama (1) of the San Antonio Spurs drives the ball in game three during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Kirby Lee-Imagn ImagesThe effort he brings to the court is a sign of just what he can bring to the league both with the attention that's placed on him and with the potential that he and the Spurs have to be real showstoppers in the league.
All-Star weekend may have just been a preview of what Wembanyama can do when big games are on the line.