“They did it with bad intent…” Victor Wembanyama surprised at being fined $25,000 for throwing ball to ‘make someone’s day’

Victor Wembanyama scored his career-high points against the Knicks.

“They did it with bad intent…” Victor Wembanyama surprised at being fined $25,000 for throwing ball to ‘make someone’s day’

Victor Wembanyama

The San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama put on an electric performance against the New York Knicks. After the game ended, the rookie threw the game ball into the crowd. The video of Wemby throwing the ball moment went viral on social media. On the next day, the NBA announced a $25,000 fine on Wembanyama for his act.

In Sunday’s press conference, the star rookie was asked about his reaction to the fine. Victor Wembanyama found the punishment funny as he threw the ball with good intentions. The Spurs center wanted to make a fan’s day by giving them the game ball of such an epic matchup. 

I know players have gotten fined for throwing the ball in the stands before, but they did it with bad intent. I was just doing it to make someone's day. It was funny
Victor Wembanyama via press conference
YouTube video

NBA players often get fined for throwing the basketball into the stands. The punishment is to prevent the players from intentionally hurting the people in the crowd. The rule is applied to every player. Despite the positive intentions, the league decided to fine the rookie to prevent such behavior in the future.

FS Video

It was only natural that the rookie was excited after his extraordinary performance. Victor Wembanyama scored his career-high 40-point double-double with an unreal 20 rebounds. The overtime win was a head-to-head matchup as the Knicks’ Jalen Brunson also reached his career high of 61 points.

Victor Wembanyama matches Shaquille O’Neal for a unique record

The San Antonio Spurs‘ first overall pick has broken many records in his rookie season. Wembanyama’s debut season will certainly be considered one of the most impactful rookie seasons in NBA history. Ever since the player’s draft, Wemby has received favorable comparisons to many legends of the game.

Considering that the star is a center in the Spurs, one of the most prominent comparisons is with four-time champion Shaquille O’Neal. Wembanyama is also a big man like Shaq, and recently, he matched one of the legend’s early career records. The 20-year-old became the first rookie since Shaq to score 40 points and 20 rebounds in a game.

Along with the rest of the NBA world, O’Neal congratulated Wemby by posting a story on his Instagram. The future of the Spurs star looks bright as the rookie reaches new heights every other week. The young star is having an amazing season as he has made his way to the NBA’s Rookie of the Year ladder.

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