By Humberto Viera
01 Apr 2024, 12:35 PM EDT
The National Basketball Association (NBA) fined Frenchman Victor Wembanyama, player of the San Antonio Spurs, $25,000 for throwing the ball into the crowd after the agonizing victory over the New York Knicks in overtime.
The moment occurred when Wembanyama stole the ball near the end of the game, hugged it and then, at the horn, high-fived a fan and threw the ball into the stands to celebrate the tight 130-126 victory over the Knicks.
“Victor Wembanyama has been fined $25,000 for throwing the game ball into the stands,” NBA executive vice president Joe Dumars said in a statement.
In recent times, the NBA has been imposing fines and financial sanctions on several of its most prominent players. One of the most notorious cases is that of Draymond Green, known for being a repeat offender in this type of situation.
However, many of these sanctions tend to be for situations that could be considered “normal,” such as the recent sanction against Philadelphia 76ers coach Nick Nurse for alleged “verbal abuse” of referees.
The French center had an outstanding performance, scoring 40 points and capturing 20 rebounds, thus achieving numbers that had not been seen since Shaquille O’Neal in 1993.
On the other hand, Jalen Brunson of the Knicks scored 61 points, his best mark as a professional.
Wembanyama was the Spurs’ No. 1 draft pick last summer and is on track to win the rookie of the year award.
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