Victor Wembanyama will not receive a flagrant foul for his shove to Jalen Brunson in Game 3, keeping the San Antonio Spurs star at two flagrant points in the postseason. The decision matters because players who reach four flagrant points are hit with an automatic suspension.
The play came with 4:44 left in the first quarter on Monday, when Brunson tried to set a screen near the free throw line and Wembanyama turned and shoved the Knicks guard to the floor. No foul was called on the play, even as New York immediately protested.
What the league decided
A league spokesperson told ESPN’s Shams Charania on Tuesday night that the contact would not be upgraded to a flagrant foul. That leaves Wembanyama in the same postseason position after the league reviewed the incident.
Earlier Tuesday, NBA senior vice president of referee development and training Monty McCutchen told ESPN’s “NBA Today” that a foul should have been called on the play. The league still chose not to turn the no-call into a flagrant.
Why Wembanyama was already on two flagrant points
Wembanyama picked up his two flagrant points earlier in the postseason after elbowing Minnesota Timberwolves forward Naz Reid in the jaw in Game 4 of their second-round series. That play was ruled a flagrant foul 2 for excessive contact above the neck, which triggered an ejection.
He did not face any further discipline from that incident, including a fine. For now, the Spurs center remains clear of the four-point threshold, but the latest review keeps attention on his postseason physicality.