Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs hit the ground running in Game 3 of the NBA Finals with an aggressive start to the fixture, which saw them take an early 12-point lead against the Knicks. Midway through the first quarter, Wembanyama’s desperation came to the surface a bit too soon as he grabbed Jalen Brunson from behind his neck and pushed him down in an ugly showcase of the physicality in the game.
Brunson frustrated at Wemby 😳 pic.twitter.com/0xd2HO78NV
— ESPN (@espn) June 9, 2026
Jalen Brunson clearly took exception to this move from Wembanyama, but he kept his cool until the play ended so that he could approach the officials calmly. However, they refused to take a second look at it. NBA fans saw this incident on social media and began calling out the 22-year-old French star for his actions.
“Wemby is the dirtiest player in the league.”
“Dirty a– Spurs and refs don’t wanna call anything.”
“Ok man, I’ve been trying to shoot Wemby some bail, but this dude is borderline and almost becoming a flat-out dirty player! And it seems like the “Golden Goose” keeps getting away with sh–!! I know he is ‘The Face’ but DAMN!”
“Wemby is trash for this. I don’t care how great you are, this is pathetic stuff.”
“F— this guy, dirty as hell. Break the man’s neck, WTF.”
“The NBA lets Wemby do as he likes.”
“I’m tired of this dirty a– team getting away with s— like that.”
Several such reactions flooded social media as Victor Wembanyama faced criticism from people despite a solid start to the game. He scored nine points within the first eight minutes of tip-off and started 4-4 from the floor before missing his first shot eventually.
On one hand, this level of desperation and physicality is what we expect from players, especially young players who haven’t faced the pressure of playing against a hostile Madison Square Garden crowd. But on the other hand, does that atmosphere excuse such an act?
It was a bit surprising that the officials did not review this play. Such missed calls are exactly why I keep suggesting that there needs to be a system of more accountability for the officials.
The league says it will introduce artificial intelligence into officiating so that the human officials can focus on the contact element of the sport. A player should not have to break his neck in the process just so that the officials take another look at a potentially malicious act on the court.
It will be interesting to see what Brunson or anyone on the Knicks has to say about this incident after the game.
