AI Summary
5 min readVictor Wembanyama shoved Jalen Brunson to the floor in Game 3 of the NBA Finals, and the league decided not to upgrade the no-call to a flagrant foul. That decision, and the reasoning behind it, opened a debate about whether the Spurs star is getting special treatment from the NBA—and whether that is a fundamental problem for the league. On the June 10 edition of The Ben Maller Show, host Ben Maller walked through the Wembanyama incident, the league's response, and the broader implications for how the NBA protects its rising stars, while also touching on Stephon Marbury's call for retaliation and LeBron James declaring himself the greatest of all time.
The Shove and the Non-Punishment
The episode's central incident occurred in Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the New York Knicks. In the first quarter, Jalen Brunson attempted to set a screen, and Victor Wembanyama responded by shoving him to the ground with both hands. No foul was called on the play. The NBA reviewed it afterward and decided against upgrading the no-call to a flagrant foul. Maller described the shove as Wembanyama treating Brunson "like a sack of trash."
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What you'll learn
- 1 (02:54) **Wemby's Shove and the NBA's Non-Call** - The NBA declined to upgrade Victor Wembanyama's shove of Jalen Brunson to a flagrant foul, sparking debate about preferential treatment.
- 2 (12:45) **Stephon Marbury Demands Retaliation** - Former Knicks guard Stephon Marbury goes on a rant, urging the Knicks to physically retaliate against Wembanyama in Game 4.
- 3 (17:44) **LeBron James Declares Himself the GOAT** - LeBron James tells Time Magazine he is not taking anyone over himself in the GOAT debate, prompting a discussion on self-declared greatness.
- 4 (23:03) **Knicks' Game 4 Adjustments and Towns' Struggles** - Discussion of the Knicks' plan to get Karl-Anthony Towns more involved after he failed to score in the fourth quarter of any Finals game.
- 5 (39:36) **Who Am I Game: Jordan Staal's Record Chase** - The host poses a trivia question: Jordan Staal is one goal away from tying the record for most goals in a Stanley Cup Final by a player 37 or older.
- 6 Standout Quotes
- 7 (14:00) "Wemby is an international player... They play dirty overseas. If I'm watching film and I see Wemby throw somebody on my team, next game, I'm going to pop him in his rib cage so hard with my elbow... You better make sure you put that knife in his neck." - Stephon Marbury, demanding retaliation.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Ben Maller talks about the idea that Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is getting special treatment from the NBA after he was not assessed a flagrant foul for his shove of Jalen Brunson, former Knicks star Stephon Marbury demanding retaliation, LeBron James picking himself as the GOAT, and more!
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