Why Victor Wembanyama's blocks record for single NBA playoff game comes with controversy

Despite his team's loss on Monday night, Victor Wembanyama had a historically dominant defensive performance — at least on the stat sheet.

The San Antonio Spurs dropped Game 1 at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves 104-102, but in the loss, Wembanyama set a new NBA playoff record for most blocks in a game. But afterward, some fans were questioning the legitimacy of that new record.

While he would have posted a healthy number of blocks regardless, some of Wembanyama's attributed swats appeared to be missed goaltending or foul calls.

Here's a look at the controversy surrounding Wembanyama's historic performance.

NBA PLAYOFFS HQ: Live NBA scores | NBA playoff schedule | NBA playoff bracket

Victor Wembanyama blocks controversy

Wembanyama finished with 12 blocks in Game 1, deterring many Timberwolves players at the rim after recently claiming the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year, the first unanimous winner in the award's history.

But of Wembanyama's 12 blocks, some were called into question by fans. 

In the first quarter, he was attributed for a block on a layup attempt from Terrance Shannon Jr. that appeared to already hit the glass, which would make it a goaltend. Later on, another second-quarter shot attempt from Julius Randle at the rim went up off the glass, then Wembanyama then tipped it, but was still given the block in the stat sheet.

Closer looks also showed that multiple blocks from Wembanyama on Gobert included plenty of contact around the Timberwolves center's arm, which should have been called for fouls.

At minimum, it did appear that missed calls, one way or another, inflated Wembayama's block total a bit in his historic night.

Almost all Wemby's blocks were goaltends/fouls. pic.twitter.com/kiFxdO82u9

MORE: Inside Victor Wembanyama's history with Rudy Gobert 

What is record for most blocks in a single NBA playoff game?

Wembanyama set the new NBA playoff record for blocks in a game on Monday night, swatting 12 shots. 

The previous record was 10, held by three players: Andrew Bynum, Hakeem Olajuwon and Mark Eaton. It was Eaton who initially set that record for the Jazz in 1985, then Olajuwon matched it in 1990 and Bynum in 2012.

Here's a look at the most-single game playoff blocks ever:

MORE: Revisiting beef between Karl-Anthony Towns, Joel Embiid