Chris Paul is at it again…or so we thought.
The 2025 NBA Skills Challenge saw the All-Star weekend activity’s first pair of schemers, with San Antonio Spurs duo Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama attempting a controversial strategy in an effort to record a better time. When it was Team Spurs time to go, Wembanyama started for his team, and it quickly became apparent that something nefarious was in the midst.
Spurs’ Chris Paul and Victor Wembanyama Disqualified From Skills Competition
Wemby and CP3 really cheesed the Skills Challenge by intentionally breaking the rules 😂
They were disqualified 😭 pic.twitter.com/OnIMUwCXPi
— WembyMuse (@Wemby_Muse) February 16, 2025
As seen in the video above, both Spurs players reach the shooting portion of the challenge and simply throw the ball away as quickly as possible, essentially skipping an entire section of the challenge. The reasoning behind Paul and Wembanyama here is the shooting portion is not necessarily a matter of making a shot, it’s how quickly you get through the rack of balls.
While the duo could have shot and made their first attempts, the risk of having to shoot the ball three times is just as likely. The duo decided to not risk it by, well, riskily attempting a strategy that would certainly provoke a reaction.
Safe to say it was not a great reaction.
For starters, the crowd turned on them. Once it became clear what the pair were attempting to achieve during Paul’s run, the crowd quickly shared their displeasure with what they were watching.
Fans boo Wemby and CP3 for trying to rig the Skills Challenge
The Spurs have been disqualified pic.twitter.com/ofTTOlzdry
— Dalton Johnson (@DaltonJ_Johnson) February 16, 2025
Commentary caught on to the shenanigans as well, with Kevin Harlan joking, “The rules are being pushed to the very brink!” When the run concluded, players in the competition were seen booing the attempt.
The final naysayer of this behavior was, in fact, the official rules. Almost immediately after the two completed the challenge, they were disqualified on the basis of not making legitimate attempts on any of their shots.
Something this mischievous and rule-bending seemed to be right up the alley of the 12-time All-Star Paul, known to do whatever it takes in certain situations to get ahead, regardless of how players or fans react. However, apparently this time, Paul was simply following orders.
Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama said it was his idea, not Chris Paul’s, to “hack” the Skills Challenge, which led to disqualification.
“Was I booed? I don’t think I was booed. I wasn’t booed, right? Chris was.” pic.twitter.com/SeBHbKqz6y
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) February 16, 2025
Wembanyama claims to have concocted the scheme himself, saying it was his idea, not Paul’s, to “hack” the challenge. This could mean two things — Wembanyama is taking the heat as the young player for his veteran point guard, or Paul’s years of mastering rule-bending has been passed down to his new apprentice in the 21-year-old Frenchman.
The challenge would continue and eventually come down to Team Cavs, consisting of Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell pinned against Team Warriors in Moses Moody and Draymond Green, with Team Cavs securing the win.
The 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend continues on Sunday, Feb. 16, on TNT with Team Kenny vs. Team Chuck, followed by Team Shaq vs. Team Candace.
