ESPN legend Dan Patrick on Wednesday harshly criticized the NBA’s handling of Victor Wembanyama’s shove of Jalen Brunson in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, arguing the league ignored its own standards by refusing to upgrade the play to a flagrant foul.
Patrick’s criticism intensified after NBA officiating chief Monty McCutchen acknowledged a foul should have been called, fueling debate over whether Wembanyama received favorable treatment as the Spurs star sits just two flagrant foul points away from the automatic suspension that Patrick and other critics say the NBA is trying hard to avoid.
GettyDan Patrick blasted the NBA for refusing to upgrade Victor Wembanyama’s shove of Jalen Brunson, arguing the league protected its young superstar.
Dan Patrick Blasts NBA’s Wembanyama Ruling
The incident unfolded in the first quarter of Game 3, a 115-111 San Antonio Spurs win that cut the New York Knicks’ series lead to 2-1. Wembanyama shoved Brunson in the upper body as Brunson set a screen. The push was forceful enough to send Brunson to the floor. Officials missed the call live, and a post-game review left the ruling unchanged. No flagrant foul. No discipline.
McCutchen, the NBA’s senior vice president of referee development and training, appeared on ESPN’s NBA Today and confirmed officials had missed a foul, but the league held firm on the flagrant question.
Patrick, speaking on The Dan Patrick Show syndicated on radio and Peacock, was direct about what he saw on video of the incident.
“I don’t know how you look at that and don’t say that’s a flagrant,” Patrick said. “It’s a foul. Second of all, that looks flagrant to me. It’s not a basketball move and I would have given him a flagrant on that.”
The former 18-year ESPN anchor continued to rake the NBA over the coals.
“There was something yesterday that was decided, that Victor Wembanyama did not get a flagrant foul. The NBA went and looked. Their senior vice president of referee development and training, Monty McCutchen, admitted a foul should have been called on Wemby with the shove to Jalen Brunson’s upper body. Now, they didn’t call a flagrant. They should have called a flagrant because that’s what it was,” Patrick said on his broadcast Wednesday.
Wembanyama Flagrant Points and Suspension Risk
The 22-year-old Wembanyama brought two flagrant points into Game 4, both from a Flagrant 2 in the conference semifinals, when he elbowed Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid in the jaw and was ejected. Under NBA rules, four postseason flagrant points trigger an automatic one-game suspension. An upgrade of Wednesday’s shove would have left Wembanyama one flagrant foul call away from missing a Finals game.
“If they had called a flagrant, then we would have a little bit more drama going into these last few games,” Patrick said on his show. “He will stay two flagrant points away in the postseason because if he gets to four, that means he’s subject to an automatic suspension.”
He also highlighted a disparity within Game 3. Brunson was assessed a flagrant on what Patrick called a “ticky-tack call” in the same game. Patrick cited the NBA’s Flagrant 1 definition — “unnecessary contact committed by a player against an opponent” outside the normal course of play — and said the shove satisfied those requirements.
Patrick argued the ruling had a tactical dimension attached. A flagrant upgrade would have given New York incentive to bait Wembanyama into accumulating a fourth postseason flagrant point. The 7-foot-4 center had already drawn scrutiny for physical plays against Alex Caruso and Reid.
“He’s building a reputation,” Patrick said on the show.
ESPN Legend Dan Patrick Rips NBA Over Victor Wembanyama Decision