Sometimes, when things don’t go the way we want, someone’s got to take the heat, right? Take Nico Harrison during the Luka Doncic trade saga, fans had a scapegoat ready. Fast forward, and LeBron James is already in the crosshairs; if Austin Reaves sees a dip in minutes once Bron’s back, the chatter will only heat up. Passionate fanbases don’t hold back, especially when a young, Shaq-like frame with DPOY potential—hello, Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama—is in the mix. Everyone’s got their eyes locked in, maybe a little too intensely. 

Victor Wembanyama’s hot start to the season hit a speed bump over the weekend. The Spurs’ 21-year-old superstar was downgraded from questionable to out for Sunday’s clash with the Kings after reporting left calf tightness following Friday’s razor-close loss to the Warriors. An MRI confirmed a left calf strain, and the team is planning to check back in 2–3 weeks to see how the prodigy’s leg is holding up. Calf injuries, as anyone who’s tripped over their own sneakers knows, can snowball into bigger problems if you rush them. 

But this isn’t Wemby’s first rodeo with injury drama. Last season, he missed a whopping 36 games after a deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, forcing the Spurs to pray to the basketball gods while waiting for their MVP-in-the-making to return. Fast-forward to 2025-26, and he’s back on court blazing a trail, but now he’s got to sit out for the first time this season, giving fans a minor panic attack.

When he’s healthy, Wembanyama is basically San Antonio’s one-man highlight reel. He’s averaging 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds, 4 assists, and leading the league with 3.6 blocks per game, all while shooting 50/34/85. That’s right: the kid is scoring, rebounding, dishing, and swatting like he’s auditioning for a superhero role. San Antonio’s 9–4 record and the best start in franchise history? Largely thanks to him.

Fans were still simmering over the drama with Wemby’s injury, so naturally, they went sleuthing through the previous game’s clips. One angle caught their eye, and the reactions were instant and fiery. Social media lit up.

Fans point fingers at Brandin Podziemski as the ‘culprit’ behind Wemby’s injury?

One fan went digging through the previous Warriors game after news broke that Victor Wembanyama got hurt and stumbled upon a specific five-second clip he swore showed the exact moment. He wrote, “Is this the motherfucker responsible for Wemby’s injury? WTF is this?!” In the clip, Victor has the ball and is driving forward when Brandin Podziemski appears to stretch his leg out, causing Wemby to trip and crash face-first to the floor. While the Spurs haven’t officially blamed the fall for Victor’s calf strain, fans were quick to connect the dots

Another fan wasn’t holding back either, commenting, “Draymond appreciates a player hurting another player 🚮.” Green’s reputation precedes him. As per StatMuse, he currently has 2,588 total career fouls, a testament to his signature aggressive style. In Warriors’ recent matchup only added fuel to the fire. Green and Wemby got into a heated argument that quickly went viral, with Draymond craning his neck to throw words at Wemby, though Wemby came at him first. Aggression is basically Green’s trademark. Last season, he even got a league warning for it. Maybe that’s why this time around, it was a fan who got the warning instead. Irony, anyone?

One fan couldn’t hold back, writing, “That looked like Podz had intent ……😳😳😳😳😳😳😳🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔🤔.” Brandin Podziemski is just naturally fiery on the court. His intensity is part of what makes him, well, him. Even Steve Kerr once said, “His swagger is part of what makes him who he is.” Now, whether that stumble was intentional or just an accident, no one can say for sure. What’s clear is Podz has been playing hard and contributing solidly: averaging 11.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists, shooting 45.5% from the field.

Warriors fans weren’t staying quiet either. One fired back, “He tripped Curry so I guess that makes it even.” In that same game, Victor Wembanyama seemed to get a little handsy with Steph Curry. During a Warriors possession, Curry was trying to weave through a maze of screens, and Wemby appeared to lift his foot, almost tripping the star guard. So while Spurs fans are pointing fingers at Podziemski, Warriors supporters see it as simple tit-for-tat on the court.

Another fan weighed in, writing, “Wemby’s body is responsible for his injury.” The discussion circles back to his physique. The long-running narrative suggests Wembanyama still has work to do on his frame. Take Giannis Antetokounmpo as an example—he entered the league just as skinny but quickly added strength, giving him better control and helping prevent easy mishaps on the court. Wemby has been putting in the work and has added some weight, but according to fans, there’s still room for improvement.