San Antonio Spurs Center Victor Wembanyama said he would "absolutely not" appear in an endorsement ad involving gambling, a growing industry related to professional sports.
Wemby told reporters during a practice session at team headquarters on Thursday you won't see him in any advertising that promotes sports gambling.
"Honestly, I think it's very sad to see some players promote it, in my opinion," the former number 1 draft pick said. "Everybody does what they want, but without me."
Wembanyama said players can use their positions to do more than bring in big paychecks from advertisers.
"Obviously, we earn millions and millions of dollars, but it's not our biggest strength. Our biggest strength is inspiring, and we can inspire in a good or bad way, and I want to inspire in a good way," he said.
The native of France said he wants to promote things that have a "good impact, have a good influence on the world."
He said he has chosen to work with brands that reflect his values and has turned down more lucrative deals that did not.
Wemby’s endorsements are with companies that include Nike, Louis Vuitton, 2K Sports, Fanatics, Barcode and H-E-B.
The American Gaming Association reports the commercial sports betting industry in the U.S. had nearly $17 billion in revenue in 2025. Around 78% of bets were placed on a mobile device. Fan Duel and Draft Kings are the industry leaders.
The betting sites themselves offer help for gambling addiction and promote responsible gambling. They feature a hotline from the National Council on Problem Gambling: 1-800-MY-RESET.
Fan Duel provides limits and controls on all its platforms in effort to prevent gambling addiction among its players, including deposit limits, loss limits, wager limits, maximum wager size, and time limits on daily play.
“It is never our goal to have a customer bet a dollar more than they're comfortable playing, “We want long-term sustainability.” said Fan Duel's Vice President of VIP and Retail Experience Jeff Lowich, on the company's website.
