The NBA's golden child received his first fine.
It feels like Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama can do no wrong, but a harmless action resulted in a hit to his bank account.
Wembanyama had the highest-scoring game of his young career Friday against the Knicks, going off for 40 points, 20 rebounds and seven assists to lead San Antonio to an overtime win. His excellence had Hall of Famer and MSG Network announcer Walt Frazer comparing the French phenom to all-time greats LeBron James, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Bill Russell.
For as dominant as Wembanyama was, though, it was New York's Jalen Brunson who made headlines in a losing effort. The All-Star point guard also had a career night, exploding for 61 points to keep the Knicks in the game. He finished just one point shy of tying Carmelo Anthony's franchise record.
After one of the best individual battles of the season, Wembanyama celebrated the Spurs' victory by chucking the game ball into the stands at San Antonio's Frost Bank Center. That forced the NBA to crack down on the No. 1 pick.
NBA fines Victor Wembanyama $25,000 for throwing game ball into stands
Wembanyama was fined $25,000 for "throwing the game ball into the spectator stands," the NBA announced Sunday.
The Spurs rookie was fired up after the win, launching the game ball into the crowd before celebrating with his teammates. A ball boy for the Knicks retrieved it from the fan who caught it, ESPN reported.
Victor Wembanyama CHUCKED Jalen Brunson’s 61-point ball after the Spurs' win over the Knicks 😂pic.twitter.com/s7nRPnhKca
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) March 30, 2024
The perception among NBA fans was that it was Brunson's game ball, given his near-historic 61-point outing. But in a losing effort to Wembanyama's career-best 40 points, who's to say it shouldn't have been declared Wemby's game ball?
Either way, the NBA has a strict rule against throwing anything into the crowd. It's the same reason that Warriors star Stephen Curry has received multiple fines for launching his mouthpiece into the stands.
The NBA had no choice but to penalize Wembanyama for his actions, even as harmless as his celebratory toss was.
