San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama needs to be very careful about flagrant fouls in the NBA Finals. And in Game 5, he may have gotten away with one.
Midway through the third quarter Saturday, June 13, Wembanyama jumped to contest a 3-point attempt from Knicks All-Star Jalen Brunson. During Wembanyama’s closeout, he approached Brunson’s landing area, leading to Brunson landing on Wembanyama’s right foot.
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Officials opted not to call a foul on Wembanyama, which normally would’ve induced a review to see if it constituted a reckless closeout.
Brunson was extremely upset with officials and ran over to argue. A closer look at the play, however, showed that Brunson kicked his leg out in a somewhat unnatural motion.
Wembanyama is currently sitting at 3 flagrant points, and any additional flagrant foul penalty — 1 or 2 — would trigger an automatic one-game suspension.
So, while it would seem Wembanyama may have skirted past a suspension, the NBA can still issue one retroactively, since it reviews prior games. If the NBA deems that the play indeed merited a reckless closeout and a flagrant foul, it can upgrade that play, which would result in the suspension.
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
New York City turned out to support the Knicks as fans gathered across Manhattan for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
See how the crowd brought the energy beyond the arena during a citywide watch party.
Above, A New York Knicks fan cheers outside of Madison Square Garden on Plaza 33 for a watch party of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
(Brenden Willsch, Imagn Images)
1 / 20
Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
New York City turned out to support the Knicks as fans gathered across Manhattan for Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
See how the crowd brought the energy beyond the arena during a citywide watch party.
Above, A New York Knicks fan cheers outside of Madison Square Garden on Plaza 33 for a watch party of Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
(Brenden Willsch, Imagn Images)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Knicks fans cheer during an NBA finals watch party at Wollman Rink, Jun 13, 2026, New York, NJ, USA.
(Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Knicks fans react during an NBA finals watch party at Wollman Rink, Jun 13, 2026, New York, NJ, USA.
(Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
A New York Knicks fan reacts while watching the New York Knicks game outside of Madison Square Garden on Plaza 33 during Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
(Brenden Willsch, Imagn Images)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Knicks fans cheer as they watch game 5 of the NBA finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at a ticketed watch party outside Madison Square Garden in Manhattan June 13, 2026.
(Seth Harrison, Seth Harrison)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Several thousand Knicks watch game 5 of the NBA finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at a ticketed watch party outside Madison Square Garden in Manhattan June 13, 2026.
(Seth Harrison, Seth Harrison)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
A concerned Jayce Calocerinos, 18, of Syracuse, N.Y. was among several thousand Knicks fans who watched game 5 of the NBA finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at a ticketed watch party outside Madison Square Garden in Manhattan June 13, 2026. Calocerinos traveled from upstate New York just to stand outside the arena to watch the game.
(Seth Harrison, Seth Harrison)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Members of the NYPD, on hand to provide security, watch game 5 of the NBA finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at a ticketed watch party outside Madison Square Garden in Manhattan June 13, 2026.
(Seth Harrison, Seth Harrison)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Several thousand Knicks fans watch game 5 of the NBA finals between the Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at a ticketed watch party outside Madison Square Garden in Manhattan June 13, 2026.
(Seth Harrison, Seth Harrison)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
People watch the New York Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs in game 5 of the NBA finals on June 13, 2026, in New York City. If the Knicks win tonight’s game, in the best of seven series, they will win the National Basketball Association championship for the first time in over 50 years.
(Spencer Platt, Getty Images)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
New York Knicks fans wave their rally towels outside of Madison Square Garden on Plaza 33 while watching Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
(Brenden Willsch, Imagn Images)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
People watch the New York Knicks take on the San Antonio Spurs in game 5 of the NBA finals on June 13, 2026, in New York City. If the Knicks win tonight’s game, in the best of seven series, they will win the National Basketball Association championship for the first time in over 50 years.
(Spencer Platt, Getty Images)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
New Yorkers watch the first half of Game 5 of the NBA finals at a watch party held at Harlem Tavern on June 13, 2026, in New York City. The Knicks are one win away from the franchise’s first championship since 1973.
(Jeremy Weine, Getty Images)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Knicks fans react during an NBA finals watch party at Wollman Rink, Jun 13, 2026, New York, NJ, USA.
(Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Knicks fans react during an NBA finals watch party at Wollman Rink, Jun 13, 2026, New York, NJ, USA.
(Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Knicks fans cheer during an NBA finals watch party at Wollman Rink, Jun 13, 2026, New York, NJ, USA.
(Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
New York Knicks fan holds up a five with their hands outside of Madison Square Garden on Plaza 33 prior to Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
(Brenden Willsch, Imagn Images)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
A New York Knicks fan cheers outside of Madison Square Garden on Plaza 33 during Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs.
(Brenden Willsch, Imagn Images)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
Knicks fans cheer during an NBA finals watch party at Wollman Rink, Jun 13, 2026, New York, NJ, USA.
(Yannick Peterhans/NorthJersey.com)
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Knicks fans erupt at NYC watch parties during NBA Finals Game 5
A Knicks fan holds a giant cutout of Knicks guard Jalen Brunson outside Madison Square Garden before Game 5 of the NBA finals between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, in New York, on June 13, 2026.
(KENA BETANCUR, AFP via Getty Images)
The Spurs, of course, would need to hold on to win the game to extend the series, anyway.
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San Antonio leads, 70-58, with 1:26 left to play in the third quarter.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Should Victor Wembanyama have been called for flagrant foul?
