Victor Wembanyama had reached his breaking point.
The San Antonio star charged at Ivica Zubac after the Los Angeles center shoved him to the floor during the Clippers’ 128-116 win over the Spurs on Wednesday night.
Wembanyama’s frustration, stemming from what he feels is a lack of calls and respect from officials, boiled over late in the third quarter and during his postgame interview.
“So … it’s not even about Zubac,” Wembanyama said. “It’s just frustration, no matter who it was.”
When asked if he believes officials treat him fairly, Wembanyama bluntly responded, “No.”
The shove from Zubac added to the growing physical challenges Wembanyama has faced.
Earlier in the third quarter, Zubac had yelled at the referees for not calling a foul on Harrison Barnes after the Spurs forward blocked his layup. The frustration escalated when Wembanyama blocked Zubac’s dunk attempt with 4:49 left in the third quarter, and no foul was called.
Zubac showed his frustration, was slow on defense, and saw Barnes hit a 3-pointer to cut the Clippers’ lead to 85-78. Zubac then rushed into the paint, gave Wembanyama a hard hip check and elbow to his back, sending him tumbling to the baseline.
Wembanyama quickly gathered himself and charged at Zubac, but the Spurs coaching staff and players rushed onto the court to hold him back as Clippers coach Ty Lue called a timeout after Barnes’ 3-pointer.
“I reacted a little,” Zubac said. “I thought I got fouled (on the previous play). I was mad at the refs. So, then I was late (on Harrison Barnes’ 3-point shot). I saw it going up. I saw Wemby crashing, so I knew I had to box him out. I bumped him a little harder. I let emotions take over a little bit, but I apologized to him. That’s not the way I want to be on the court and compete.”
Zubac finished with 21 points and 22 rebounds, while Wembanyama had 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Despite the shove, no foul was called, and no technical foul was given to Wembanyama. After a quick discussion, officials did not review the play.
The lack of a call angered Wembanyama and the Spurs.
“I thought there was a few plays that should have been taken care of a little bit earlier,” San Antonio acting head coach Mitch Johnson said. “You’ll get reactions like that. It’s probably surprising he hasn’t reacted like that earlier, to be honest. He gets a lot of contact, and at some point, he’s going to have to continue to protect himself if the people controlling the game, supposedly, are not going to do that.”
Wembanyama explained that teams are trying to limit his unique skill set, especially his ability to shoot 3-pointers and dribble like a guard, by pushing and leaning on his 235-pound frame.
“So it’s a hard thing to fight, because it feels unfair sometimes,” Wembanyama said. “But, of course, we talk about it with the staff, and there is some stuff I have to do to help myself. First of all, being strong and not bailing out shots, but also there is some work to do.
Talking to the refs, of course, explaining myself. But for me, it doesn’t feel like it’s something I should influence. I’m a basketball player, I’m here to play, and yeah, this is why it’s frustrating. It’s not my job to do politics.”
