SAN FRANCISCO — You ever see something in sports that makes you go, Wait… can they do that?
That’s exactly what happened during the NBA All-Star Skills Challenge when Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul thought they had found a sneaky way to speed through the course. For a second, it looked like they had outsmarted everyone. Instead, they ended up disqualified in one of the weirdest moments in Skills Challenge history.
Smart Strategy or Just Cheating?
Here’s the deal.
The Skills Challenge tests passing, dribbling, and shooting, with a simple rule: make one shot or attempt three before moving on. But Wembanyama, being the thinker he is, realized something—nowhere did it say they had to actually try to make the shots.
So instead of setting up and aiming, he and Paul hurled the ball toward the hoop as fast as possible, just to meet the three-attempt requirement.
And honestly? It worked—at least for a moment. Their 47.9-second time was the best of the night.
Kevin Harlan and Reggie Miller, calling the event, were all-in at first, thinking they had cracked the code. But the crowd? Not impressed.
Then came the bad news.
The officials said their shots weren’t "valid", meaning their time didn’t count—and just like that, they were out.
Chris Paul Was Not Happy
Paul, who’s now 0-for-6 in this event, wasn’t having it. He went straight to the officials, arguing that their strategy was totally within the rules.
“We had a strategy we thought could win,” Paul said. “It was fun.”
But fun doesn’t always mean fair. The officials stood their ground, saying they didn’t follow the spirit of the competition.
When asked if he understood their reasoning, Paul wasn’t convinced.
“I didn’t even hear any points.”
Wembanyama Stands By His Plan
While Paul was frustrated, Wembanyama? He had zero regrets.
“I don’t regret it. I think it was a good idea,” he said.
And honestly? I kinda get where he’s coming from.
To him, this wasn’t cheating—it was just playing smart within the rules.
“If the Skills Challenge lets us do that, there’s a loophole,” he explained. “It means we’re not the problem.”
Wait… Did Wemby Get Permission?
Here’s where things get interesting.
According to Draymond Green, Wembanyama actually asked multiple people before the event if this strategy was allowed.
“Wemby walked around asking everybody, ‘Make one or three attempts?’ Then he said, ‘Oh, so I can just get all three up there?’” Green said.
“Now, he may not have asked the right people, but he definitely asked a lot of them.”
So was this cheating, or just a miscommunication?
A Wild Night Ends in Controversy
With Team Spurs disqualified, the event moved on. Team Cavs (Donovan Mitchell & Evan Mobley) took the win, beating Team Warriors (Draymond Green & Moses Moody) in the final with a time of 1:00.03.
But let’s be real—that’s not what people are talking about.
Instead, the debate rages on: Were Wembanyama and Paul playing smart, or were they bending the rules too far?
Either way, one thing’s for sure—we won’t forget this Skills Challenge anytime soon.
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