NBA won’t upgrade Wembanyama-Brunson shove?

NBA declines to upgrade Wembanyama shove to flagrant

The NBA admitted that Victor Wembanyama should have been called for a foul after shoving New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson hard to the ground during the first quarter of Game 3. However, the league decided the play would not be upgraded to a flagrant foul.

That distinction is important because flagrant fouls typically trigger harsher consequences, such as potential automatic ejection or additional fines/suspensions depending on severity. In this case, despite the officiating being acknowledged as incorrect in part, the ruling stayed short of the highest penalty category.

What the ruling changed

• The league recognized the foul should have been called.
• The outcome was still not escalated to a flagrant foul.
• As a result, no flagrant upgrade was applied to that specific incident.

Why it matters

The Knicks-Spurs series has featured intense late-game pressure and heightened scrutiny of physical play. With one acknowledged foul but no flagrant escalation, the league effectively narrowed the impact of the moment to an error in calling the foul—without treating it as a game-altering act that warrants an upgraded punishment.

For both teams, this can influence how players approach future matchups and how coaches communicate discipline expectations to limit contact that could be judged harshly under NBA review protocols.