Victor Wembanyama’s handling of the final moments of the NBA Finals didn’t sit right with Charles Barkley.
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“I love Wemby,” Barkley said in an exclusive interview with Casino Guru. “I was disappointed with the way he finished the Finals, the way he disrespected the press and not congratulating the winners. But I think he’s a great kid and he’s got a great future.”
His comment about congratulating the winners followed Wembanyama’s exit from the court after the Knicks clinched the title. Wembanyama headed to the locker room without exchanging on-court handshakes with Knicks players, according to The Athletic. The outlet said it was unclear whether he acknowledged any of them later, after the court had cleared.
Wembanyama’s third NBA season ended with San Antonio reaching the Finals before losing to the New York Knicks. The Spurs finished the regular season 62-20 and then survived a seven-game Western Conference Finals series against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
He was the biggest reason they got that far. Against Oklahoma City, he averaged 27.3 points, 10.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.4 steals and 2.7 blocks over seven games. He also received all nine votes to become the Western Conference Finals MVP.
Barkley Still Backs Wembanyama Despite Finals Criticism
Barkley’s comments are notable because Wembanyama had received recognition for his relationship with the media earlier in the same season.
The 22-year-old won the 2025-26 Magic Johnson Award from the Professional Basketball Writers Association. The award recognizes the player who best combines excellence on the court with cooperation and grace when dealing with the media and fans. NBA.com also noted that Wembanyama consistently fostered mutual respect and openness with reporters.
There had been another media-related incident before the Finals. Wembanyama did not speak to reporters after the Spurs’ Game 5 loss to Oklahoma City on May 26, and ESPN reported that the NBA warned him for violating its media-access rules.
That was separate from the Finals appearance Barkley criticized. Wembanyama spoke to reporters after the Knicks won the title, so the two incidents should not be treated as the same missed media availability.
Barkley was unhappy with how Wembanyama handled the end of the Finals specifically.
His assessment of the Spurs’ future was different. Barkley believes San Antonio and Oklahoma City could remain the two teams to watch in the Western Conference.
“OKC is right there,” Barkley said. “They didn’t have their second-best player (Jalen Williams) and they still took them seven games.”
The Thunder pushed San Antonio to the limit, but the Spurs eventually closed out the series. Wembanyama’s performance throughout the matchup earned him the conference finals MVP award and sent San Antonio to its first NBA Finals since 2014.
Barkley expects the battle between the two teams to continue.
“It’s going to be between those two teams the next five years, easily,” Barkley said.
Wembanyama enters his fourth season after adding several major accomplishments to his résumé. He won Defensive Player of the Year, made the All-NBA First Team, and helped the Spurs reach the Finals in just his third year.
Barkley’s complaint, then, was about what happened after the series. His view of Wembanyama’s basketball future remains positive.