Victor Wembanyama embraces being a New York villain, but he knows one player is the best

Victor Wembanyama embraces being a New York villain, but he knows one player is the best originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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In Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama was caught shoving Jalen Brunson. This did not go down well with the fans at Madison Square Garden.

It led to a huge, explicit chant across the arena directed at Wembanyama. This was reminiscent of what happened when the Atlanta Hawks and the Knicks went against each other in the 2021 NBA Playoffs, and Trae Young was the recipient of a similar chant.

Victor Wembanyama knows Trae Young is still the biggest NYC villain

Despite Wembanyama playing in the NBA Finals against the Knicks, it seems Young is still the most hated player in New York City. That just goes to show how much Young truly frustrated the Knicks and their fans during the 2021 Playoffs.

However, Wemby could be in the running in the future because the Finals are the biggest stage possible. If Wembanyama can continue playing this way and finding ways to frustrate the fans, he might become the biggest villain in NYC, both literally and figuratively. 

MORE: The Knicks fans at Madison Square Garden have made Victor Wembanyama the latest villain

Despite the explicit chants he received in Game 3, it seems Wembanyama has no issues with it. He appears to be embracing it as well, but he knows that he is still not the public enemy number one for the Knicks fans.

“I guess. I’m nowhere near Trae Young level, though,” Wembanyama said after he was asked about being the latest NYC villain.

Moving forward, this will be a massive storyline for the NBA Finals. Wembanyama seems to be unbothered by the fans, but they will make themselves known moving forward. Game 4 will still be held at MSG, so he will probably encounter a rowdy crowd that will cheer the Knicks on.

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