On April 30, 1993, Monica Seles was sitting courtside during a changeover at a tournament in Hamburg when a spectator walked out of the crowd and stabbed the world No. 1 in the back. The attack sidelined Seles for more than two years and permanently changed how professional sports approached athlete security. More than three decades later, leagues are still confronting the same problem whenever the boundary between fans and athletes breaks down. On Wednesday night in New York, Victor Wembanyama became the latest star to find himself at the center of that discussion.

For 53 years, the New York Knicks dreamed of this moment. On Wednesday, Jalen Brunson and the Knicks erased a 29-point deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-106 in Game 4, moving within one win of the franchise’s first championship in 53 years. As expected, the city exploded in celebration.

But somewhere between joy and chaos, Knicks fans crossed some important lines. They waited outside the Spurs’ hotel, located roughly five blocks from Madison Square Garden, and targeted Victor Wembanyama as he stepped off the team bus. According to Shams Charania, multiple eggs were thrown in the Spurs star’s direction, with no arrests made by the NYPD as of Thursday. And at that moment, the celebration turned into something far uglier.

“It’s disgusting. And let me tell you something. The fools who did it, not only do I wish they knew who it was and they get arrested, I wish they get their a** kicked,” Stephen A. Smith called out on First Take. “Because he is real brave to do something like that when you’re surrounded by a whole bunch of people and nobody knows who you are.”

Tensions between Wembanyama and Knicks fans had been building throughout the Finals. During Game 3, the Spurs star shoved Jalen Brunson while fighting through a screen, a play NBA referee operations chief Monty McCutchen later admitted should have been called a foul. The league ultimately declined to upgrade the play to a flagrant foul, a decision that sparked frustration among many New York fans. None of that, however, justified what followed outside the team hotel.

“Those stupid a** fans, the couple of people who did that, they don’t represent New York Knicks fans. Most New Yorkers would never do something like that,” Stephen A. went on. “Most NBA fans, most sports fans, period. Wouldn’t do something like that. But there are always a few fools who hide behind crowds, hide behind, I call it fandomonium. Hide behind being shielded by people so nobody knows who you are. So you could be the kind of punk that would do something like that.”

Stephen A. Smith also directed a message toward NBA commissioner Adam Silver. “The hotels that they stay in, you’ve got to insulate these guys better, make no mistake about it,” he requested. The New York native doesn’t want the world to think that the people there are like this because of “a few fools” who didn’t respect Victor Wembanyama.

His comments also shifted attention toward the league itself, raising questions about whether the NBA is doing enough to protect players once they leave the arena environment.

Smith pointed to Russell Westbrook’s past run-ins with fans as evidence that the issue extends far beyond one Finals series. In 2019, a Utah Jazz fan was permanently banned after Westbrook accused him of making racially insensitive remarks. Two years later, a Philadelphia fan dumped popcorn on Westbrook as he exited the floor with an injury, leading to an indefinite ban from the Wells Fargo Center. Both incidents reignited league-wide debates about how far fan behavior should be allowed to go before stronger intervention becomes necessary.

During both incidents, Smith had spoken in Westbrook’s favor. After the egging episode with Victor Wembanyama, the veteran analyst explained why. “What he’s saying is, you’re doing stuff that you would never do if you were straight up man to man with me. That’s what he’s saying. And he’s absolutely 1,000% right,” Smith said. “These athletes don’t deserve that.”

More voices in the NBA aren’t happy with this Victor Wembanyama treatment

ESPN’s Mike Greenberg also condemned the incident. “If you’re throwing eggs at Victor Wembanyama and, the other night, if you’re beating up on people, threatening, or doing anything to people wearing Spurs jerseys, just know that you are a disgrace,” Greenberg said on Get Up. He later referred to those responsible as “lunatics.”

The criticism came as the NYPD reported dozens of arrests following the postgame celebrations. However, despite Shams Charania confirming that multiple eggs were thrown toward Wembanyama outside the Spurs’ hotel, no arrests had been made in connection with that incident as of Thursday.

The concerns extend beyond television debate shows. The hotel incident wasn’t even the first security breach involving Wembanyama during the Finals. Earlier in the series, the NBA handed lifetime bans to two fans after one ran onto the court during Game 1 and attempted to take a selfie with the Spurs star. Commissioner Adam Silver addressed the incident days later, saying, “We learn from every incident.” The hotel confrontation now raises fresh questions about whether current safeguards are enough once players leave NBA-controlled environments.

Smith also contrasted the behavior of Knicks fans with the reception visiting teams typically receive in San Antonio.

“We go to San Antonio. Class personified. Those folks in San Antonio, they don’t do stuff like that. They haven’t done stuff like that. They’ve treated New Yorkers with all the class in the world,” Smith said.

Back in 2023, then-head coach Gregg Popovich grabbed the announcer’s mic and asked the crowd to stop booing Kawhi Leonard. He was visiting his former home arena as a player of the LA Clippers. While he stood at the free-throw line, the crowd erupted. “Excuse me for a second,” Pop said to the audience. “Can we stop all the booing and let these guys play? Have a little class. That’s not who we are. Knock off the booing.”

Popovich later explained his reasoning with a simple warning: “Anybody who knows anything about sports knows you don’t poke the bear.” The moment became one of the clearest examples of the culture Spurs leadership has tried to build around the franchise.

Whether the league responds publicly remains to be seen. But the incident has already exposed a security gap that exists throughout professional sports: arenas may be heavily protected, yet players remain vulnerable the moment they step into public transit zones outside team hotels. As Stephen A. Smith argued, protecting athletes cannot stop at the arena doors.