Wembanyama cautioned he could be ‘deported’ by

Former NBA head coach turned broadcaster Stan Van Gundy raised eyebrows by suggesting Victor Wembanyama’s “Alien” moniker — earned by way of his extraordinary expertise — could put him liable to deportation. The French sensation has established himself as a power in only his third season, despite battling numerous health setbacks, including a scary blood clot bout.

Yet when the 21-year-old takes the court docket, he ranks among the league’s elite performers. At 7-foot-4, the San Antonio Spurs phenom strikes not like any athlete basketball has witnessed — able to dealing with the ball in transition, maneuvering like a guard, and flattening constant photographs from past the arc.

His exceptional skills earned him the “Alien” tag, which play-by-play commentator Michael Grady referenced during Saturday’s NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup the place Wembanyama‘s Spurs defeated the formidable Oklahoma City Thunder.

Hearing this, Stan Van Gundy could not resist injecting politics into the dialog in a half-joking method. “The only thing is, in the current political environment, you gotta watch that word, Michael Grady,” he said.

“They deport those. We do not want Victor Wembanyama deported. Let’s go with a different nickname.”

The Trump administration has intensified deportation efforts nationwide this 12 months, with ICE operations ongoing throughout the nation — significantly as the vacation season approaches.

Just last week, ICE shared a provocative ‘Polar Express’-themed meme as a part of its push to take away people residing in the U.S. without authorized standing.

The Trump administration has deported more than 2.5 million undocumented immigrants from the nation, according to figures from the United States Department of Homeland Security.

“The Trump Administration is shattering historic records with more than 2.5 million illegal aliens leaving the U.S. DHS has deported more than 605,000 illegal aliens and another 1.9 million have self-deported. Since January 20, DHS has arrested more than 595,000 illegal aliens,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

“Illegal aliens are hearing our message to leave now. They know if they don’t, we will find them, we will arrest them, and they will never return.”