Referees looked away as Victor Wembanyama got away with a flagrant foul on Jalen Brunson in Game 5 of the NBA Finals.
The San Antonio Spurs center had his foot well within the New York Knicks guard’s landing space as the latter took a top-of-the-key three in the third quarter. Brunson was able to nail the shot, but was in serious pain after tripping over Wembanyama’s foot on the hardwood at Frost Bank Center in San Antonio, Texas.
This is very CLEARLY a flagrant foul on Wemby and the refs just watching pic.twitter.com/iYQBvxgULd
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) June 14, 2026
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Even announcers Tim Legler and Richard Jefferson called the referees out for missing what would have been a highly consequential call. Here’s the play in live action.
Wemby just got away with ANOTHER FLAGRANT FOUL on Jalen Brunson pic.twitter.com/6945gasLm3
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) June 14, 2026
The Spurs also benefited from Brunson being hurt, as they were able to generate a three-point make on the other end with the Knicks down a defender.
The officiating crew led by Scott Foster would have probably called that play a flagrant foul without question in most other scenarios. This scenario wasn’t one of them. The foul would have been Wembanyama’s third flagrant foul of the postseason, which would have meant an automatic suspension for a potential Game 6. It appeared to be a textbook star non-call.
Wembanyama also got away with a dirty hit on Brunson in Game 3.
This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.
