In Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder, it was clear the former was getting blown out. When Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson sent the third-stringers in, they were just going to see the game off.
However, it seems Victor Wembanyama had different plans.
Wemby was caught whispering something to Mason Plumlee and Bismack Biyombo. It was not until Game 5 that an alternate angle was shown when he clearly said to his teammates to commit hard fouls.
Victor Wembanyama made the call for his teammates’ hard fouls
This is not a good look for Wembanyama, considering he is the league’s latest mega star. He is a fantastic player who is known to play the game the right way, but instructing his teammates to commit hard fouls further soils some of his reputation.
Of course, he is still a fantastic player. However, essentially encouraging Plumlee to hit Jared McCain in the back will not go down well with Thunder fans and other fans of the sport.
McCain himself took it in stride. He thought it was a wild moment but said he was fine.
“Yeah, that was crazy. I didn’t expect it. We were at the free-throw line, and I was like, ‘Why’d you do that, man?’ He was like, ‘I got another one for you too.’ It’s all competition, so gotta respect it,” McCain said about the hard foul in Game 5.
Victor Wembanyama to Mason Plumlee in Game 5:
“Hard fouls.”
(via @ShowCaseShabazz, h/t @Fullcourtpass) pic.twitter.com/e7gGDMia15
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) May 29, 2026
Now that the video has been revealed, some people will look at Wembanyama differently. He is a superstar who deserves every bit of praise, but this was not a good moment for him and how people look at him, because some people might perceive this as a dirty moment.
With this being revealed alongside the elbow he threw against Naz Reid, Wemby has had some bad moments as of late.
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