The New York Knicks have a history of being on the wrong side of aggressive centers. Shaquille O’Neal’s dunk and shove on Chris Dudley will be forever in the minds of fans. Those memories were invoked when Victor Wembanyama did something similar to another Knicks player, Jalen Brunson, in Game 3 on Wednesday.

The moment stirred up a frenzy on social media, especially with how Brunson’s teammates responded. Sports analyst Jay Williams, on ESPN’s SportsCenter, on Wednesday, was one of those voices.

“Well, first off, when that warning comes from Alvarado, who’s like 5’10”, 5’11”, compared to somebody 7’4″, I find it extremely funny,” Williams said. “Somebody needs to put a bow to the chest or to the ribcage of Victor Wembanyama. And fans at home cannot like this. They can say it’s dirty. But there is a certain aspect of your team when your star player gets mushed like that, and gets sunned like that. You have to respond and you’re going to respond with physicality.”

While Brunson fought through a screen in the first quarter, he briefly grabbed Wembanyama’s jersey. The Spurs star responded by placing his hand on Brunson’s upper back and shoving him to the floor from behind. Officials allowed play to continue without calling a foul, and the clip quickly went viral as fans debated whether the contact warranted a personal foul or even a Flagrant 1.

Knicks guard Jose Alvarado was among the most outspoken critics after the game, warning that Wembanyama’s aggression would be the “last one.” The comments quickly gained traction online, with many fans amused by the image of the six-foot Alvarado issuing a warning to a player standing 7-foot-4.

“And it can’t just come from Alvarado,” Jay Williams added. “It has to come from Karl-Anthony Towns,  has to come from OG. It has to come from everybody. Look for multiple shots to be delivered to Wemby tonight in game four. Yeah, I expect this whole Knicks squad to respond to that.”

Brunson appeared frustrated in the moment and briefly exchanged words with Wembanyama afterward. However, he downplayed the incident postgame, saying, “Whatever you saw is what you saw.”

Wembanyama then added another layer to the controversy by dominating the game itself. He finished with 32 points, eight rebounds and six assists as San Antonio earned a 115-111 victory, cutting New York’s Finals lead to 2-1.

According to reports, NBA Senior Vice President of Referee Development and Training Monty McCutchen acknowledged officials missed the foul during the game. The league reviewed the play afterward and agreed contact should have been called, but stopped short of upgrading it to a retroactive Flagrant 1.

What’s Next for Wembanyama After Escaping Punishment on Brunson Shove

The league’s ruling carried significant implications for Wembanyama. The 2023 No. 1 pick already entered Game 3 with two flagrant-foul points from an earlier Flagrant 2 against Naz Reid during the playoffs. Had the Brunson incident been upgraded to a Flagrant 1, Wembanyama would have moved to three points and been just one point away from an automatic suspension.

The league’s decision triggered a strong reaction across the basketball world. ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson reportedly argued the play should have been called and drew attention to the dangerous nature of the contact. O’Neal, however, took the opposite view, defending Wembanyama’s aggressive style and suggesting that physical dominance is part of playoff basketball.  

Regardless of the league’s decision, the incident has added another layer of tension to the series. Knicks fans, local media figures and several prominent voices around basketball have all weighed in on the shove, ensuring Wembanyama will remain one of the central storylines heading into Game 4.