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Spurs rumors: Chris Haynes reveals why Victor Wembanyama wasn’t punished for stiffing media
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- Spurs rumors: Chris Haynes reveals why Victor Wembanyama wasn’t punished for stiffing media
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Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals wasn't Victor Wembanyama 's finest moment, between the opening tip and buzzer or after. Wembanyama did not speak to reporters on Tuesday following his letdown performance during the San Antonio Spurs ' 127-114 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder .
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The NBA reportedly warned the Spurs superstar about violating the league's media access rules, but did not levy any punishment. NBA insider Chris Haynes shed light on what went into that decision.
"I was told that the league contacted Wemby and gave him a warning and said that moving forward they will have to [fine him]," Haynes said. "But the reason why he was not penalized for skipping media after last night's game is that he was just voted by the Pro Basketball Writers Association for being one of the most accommodating players to the media. Being someone who comes and speaks, he's forthcoming with that. And so, they felt like with the situation, tough game, what's at stake, this is a one-time situation. He's only human. One-time situation where he did this, so they let him off the hook this time. So moving forward, they told him, if you do this again, they will have to fine him."
Wembanyama mustered just 20 points on 4-of-15 shooting with six rebounds, one assist and two turnovers during the loss, bringing San Antonio to the brink of elimination.
Victor Wembanyama skips media availability following Spurs' Game 5 loss to Thunder
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images
The Spurs phenom is widely considered the future face of the NBA. His decision to skip his media appearance following the most consequential game of his young career won't be viewed favorably by the league or reporters.
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Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson spoke to reporters about Wembanyana's struggles postgame.
"[Victor's] got to take more than 15 shots," Johnson said. "Even with the [12] free throws, he's going to have to score more than 20 points for sure… Oklahoma City did a good job. We've got to do a better job," Johnson said. "He'll definitely need to take more shots, but there's a lot of things all over the place. Even when we had advantages, we just didn't make simple plays and take advantage of the opportunity, that possession. In this type of game, you've got to be sure of everything you're doing in a very secure, mature way."
Wembanyama will have a chance to bounce back at home during Game 6 on Thursday.
Related: How Spurs' Mitch Johnson nearly left rookie crying eyes out during Game 4
Related: How Thunder Isaiah Hartenstein's dad helped develop shot that's punishing the Spurs
