The NBA can review what Victor Wembanyama did to New York Knicks star Jalen Brunson in the first quarter of Game 3 and issue a flagrant two foul, as they did to LaMelo Ball after he swiped Bam Adebayo's foot from underneath him in the play-in tournament. The thing is, if they did that, it'd mean a suspension for the Spurs center, as he received a flagrant two earlier in the playoffs.
Wembanyama already has two points because of the flagrant two on Naz Reid, where he elbowed him in the neck, and another flagrant two would equal four points, a suspension. The NBA could always give him a flagrant one, putting his point total to three, one away from a suspension.
NBA head of officiating Monty McCutchen, appearing now on ESPN, acknowledges that a foul was missed on Victor Wembanyama's first-quarter shove of Jalen Brunson and says the league's review is still ongoing regarding whether the play will be deemed a retroactive flagrant foul. https://t.co/W4wAe20h0F
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) June 9, 2026
Ball wasn't suspended for his retroactive flagrant two, but that's because it was his first of the postseason. If it had been called in-game, then he would've missed the rest of it.
The difference between a flagrant one and two is that the latter involves unnecessary and excessive contact, while a flagrant one is, by definition, unnecessary contact. If what Ball did was both of those things (and it was), how does what Wembanyama did to Brunson not classify as that?
Bam Adebayo was ruled out for the game after being injured on this play 😔 pic.twitter.com/vJVTQnGUVZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 15, 2026
Brunson frustrated at Wemby 😳 pic.twitter.com/0xd2HO78NV
— ESPN (@espn) June 9, 2026
If Brunson had gotten injured as Adebayo did, that would've forced the officials to look at what happened. Or if he had retaliated by shoving Wembanyama, then it would've warranted a review.
NBA could issue Victor Wembanyama a flagrant two foul
You can speculate that the officials didn't call a flagrant on Wemby in the first place because they didn't want him to be ejected. No one wants to see a player ejected in the first quarter of an NBA Finals game, especially not a star. Now, that doesn't mean he or anyone else should be free to do what they want without repercussions.
Speaking of, you have to think that the league will at least give Wembanyama a flagrant one, but then again, it wouldn't be surprising at all if they let it slide completely. Again, they don't want to have to suspend him or push him closer to a suspension, though it'd be the result of his own actions.
The Knicks can beat the Spurs with Wemby, evidenced by the regular season and the first two games of the series. They don't need him to miss a game to give them a leg up. It would be sweeter for fans if New York responded with a win in Game 4 with him on the court, and that's probably where he will be, because there is no chance that Adam Silver would approve a suspension.
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