Victor Wembanyama finally gets flagrant in NBA Finals— one game too late

It might have come a game too late, but the Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama was finally given a flagrant foul. 

It came in the third quarter of Game 4 of the NBA Finals with the Knicks trailing by 29 points and just under 9:30 left on the clock. 

Wembanyama’s elbow came across the face of Knicks star Karl-Anthony Towns as the Spurs’ big man was trying to break free.

Towns went down in a heap of pain, and at one point, Wembanyama came over and tapped him on the back. 

After the officials reviewed the play, it was deemed a flagrant 1. 

“After the review, it’s been deemed the elbow of Wembanyama makes unnecessary contact to the chin of Towns. This rises to the level of a flagrant foul penalty 1,” crew chief Zach Zarba announced to the delight of the Madison Square Garden crowd. 

Wembanyama has become enemy No. 1 during the series after he launched Jalen Brunson to the ground in the first quarter of Game 3, which was not called a foul during the game, and the NBA did not retroactively assess a flagrant. 

Had Wembanyama been given a flagrant from Game 3 (on top of the one he did have assessed Wednesday), he would’ve been suspended for one game for accumulating four flagrant points in the postseason.

New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns falls to the floor after he was fouled by San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama with an elbow to the mouth during the third quarter of NBA Finals Game 4 on June 10, 2026. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post

The decision not to give him a flagrant for his Game 3 actions shocked and angered New Yorkers everywhere and led to The Post declaring Wembanyama a wanted man for “Crimes against the Knicks.” 

Even Knicks owner James Dolan agreed with the front page during an interview with WFAN on Wednesday afternoon. 

“So, I’m a Governor of the NBA, right, I’m restricted and bound by the rules of the NBA, of which there are a lot. There’s little that I can say,” Dolan said. “I will say if you read the cover of The New York Post today, I think they got it right. Hopefully, that won’t get me in trouble.”

Prior to tip-off, Wembanyama was mercilessly booed during Wednesday’s pregame introductions.