Why Victor Wembanyama wasn’t suspended for controversial Jalen Brunson shove originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
San Antonio Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama will not be suspended, let alone receive a flagrant foul, for his shove to the upper body of Knicks star Jalen Brunson during Game 3 of the NBA Finals.
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ESPN’s Shams Charania shared the news the night before Game 4.
The play occurred in the first quarter of Game 3, when Brunson tried to screen the Defensive Player of the Year at around the free-throw line. Wembanyama then turned around and shoved Brunson to the ground.
No whistle was blown, and Brunson was not happy with the play, getting up on Wembanyama, as the cameras caught him smiling.
Monty McCutchen, NBA senior vice president of referee development and training, said that a foul should have been called. However, they decided the play would not be upgraded from a no-call to a flagrant.
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Unfortunately for Wembanyama, this is not the first time he has found himself at the center of a controversy involving alleged foul play or a contentious on-court incident.
There have been two incidents in these playoffs alone. The first came in the second round against the Minnesota Timberwolves, when he elbowed Naz Reid in the jaw. Wembanyama was assessed a flagrant foul 2 for excessive contact above the neck, resulting in an ejection; however, there was no further discipline.
The other incident came in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Wembanyama was caught whispering “hard fouls” instructions to backup centers Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo.
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After the whispers, Plumlee and Biyombo both committed hard fouls on Thunder players.
There is no denying the stardom of the 22-year-old superstar; however, he’s shown a bit of a reputation for being somewhat of a dirty player.
Wembanyama and the Spurs will look to even the series at two apiece on Wednesday night.
