Victor Wembanyama’s first NBA Finals heartbreak has sparked a fierce debate about sportsmanship after the Spurs’ loss to the Knicks.
New York sealed the series with a 94-90 win at Frost Bank Center, closing out a 4-1 Finals victory and ending the franchise’s 53-year championship wait. Jalen Brunson led the Knicks with 45 points, while Wembanyama finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds and five blocks.
The basketball story was already massive. But the conversation quickly shifted after the final buzzer, when fans debated whether the Spurs gave the new champions enough respect.
Victor Wembanyama handshake controversy sparks Spurs classless debate
New York Basketball posted a clip featuring Draymond Green’s reaction: “Wow they didn’t shake their hands… that’s not good.” The footage appeared to show Spurs players walking off while the Knicks celebrated.
That moment was enough to split fans immediately. One frustrated Knicks supporter wrote, “After every game we gave spurs respect. Spoke of them being a good team that is well coached. Never once did they compliment us. Wemby needs to go study more with the monks. Cause he didn’t get lesson in humility.”
Another fan went even harder with the criticism: “Classless. The Spurs are extremely unlikable. Wemby is dirty and arrogant.”
The frustration is easy to understand from a Knicks perspective. Finals handshakes are not an official rule, but they are still viewed as a basic sign of respect after the toughest series of the season.
Wembanyama Finals reaction shows why Spurs exit is complicated
Plenty of fans also defended Wembanyama and San Antonio, arguing that the emotion of the moment mattered. One wrote, “Honestly, they just lost the biggest game of their life, they allowed to walk away.”
Another pointed to NBA history and added, “Not big deal. Kobe didnt shook any of the celtic players hand in 2008.”
A third fan made the emotional case most directly: “He just lost the NBA finals and yall expect him to show some love right away? 😭”
That is the balance here. Wembanyama did not have his best offensive night, the Spurs lost a home clincher, and the pain was clearly fresh.
He later framed the defeat as a learning experience, not a finished story. That matters, because this moment can still become fuel rather than a judgment on his character.
The criticism will sting, but the bigger truth is simple. Wembanyama just learned how harsh the NBA Finals spotlight gets when the final image looks wrong.
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