Victor Wembanyama and Chris Paul of the San Antonio Spurs made headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Victor Wembanyama (Photo by Cary Edmondson/Imagn Images)
The duo were disqualified from the NBA Skills Challenge over the weekend. Wemby and CP attempted a controversial strategy that they thought would give them an advantage in the competition.

During the Skills Challenge, instead of focusing on making shots, they decided to throw the ball aimlessly during the shooting portion. Though they were confident that this would help them achieve the fastest time, the opposite happened. Unfortunately, their tactic backfired, leading to boos from the audience and disapproval from fellow competitors, prompting the NBA to disqualify them.

However, Wembanyama did not step back after the disastrous aftermath. He duly acknowledged that it was his idea to orchestrate such a play during the challenge.

“Victor Wembanyama said the Team Spurs plan for the Skills competition — which wound up getting them disqualified — was his idea,”  as per ESPN’s Tim Bontemps.

Initially, many believed that Chris Paul was the one who proposed the idea. However, Wembanyama quickly cleared the air, revealing that it was actually his brainchild. He explained that he was trying to find a loophole in the rules of the Skills Challenge, a strategy he admitted might not have been well thought out in hindsight.

How Was Victor Wembanyama And Chris Paul Was Disqualified

During the 2025 NBA Skills Challenge, Chris Paul and his teammate Victor Wembanyama found themselves disqualified after a highly criticized strategy. And it appeared to circumvent the competition’s rules as well.

Team Spurs, consisting of the seasoned Paul and the promising rookie Wemby, took an unconventional approach to the challenge that quickly backfired. Instead of making genuine attempts at their shots, Wembanyama started by casually tossing the basketballs toward the rim without even looking.

However, it was indicative of a clear effort to cut down on time rather than a fair attempt at competing. As Paul’s turn approached, the audience was already aware of their lack of effort, leading to a chorus of boos directed at the duo. Shortly after their performance, it was announced that Team Spurs had been disqualified for not making a “valid effort.”

However, Paul also went on to seek clarification from an NBA representative on the sideline about the decision. Donovan Mitchell, the eventual winner of the challenge, noted that had Team Spurs not been disqualified, they might have tried a similar approach.