Victor Wembanyama declared his mission to become the next face of the NBA, and he’s learning the full weight that comes with the title after his San Antonio Spurs lost the 2026 NBA Finals to the New York Knicks.
Facing a 3-1 series deficit, the Spurs held a double-digit lead in Game 5 on June 13. Again. The Spurs had held a double-digit lead in each of the first four games, too. And they squandered it. Again.
Knicks All-Star point guard Jalen Brunson took the game into his own hands and scored 45 of the team’s 94 points en route to winning Finals MVP and bringing the NBA title back to New York for the first time since 1973. After OG Anunoby hit a free throw to ice it with 21.6 seconds left, all Wembanyama could do was heave a 3, which bricked off the backboard as time expired.
Wembanyama didn’t stick around to watch the Knicks celebrate on his home floor — immediately turning around and walking to the locker room after the buzzer sounded.
Of course, that became a topic on ESPN’s “First Take” on Tuesday.
Kendrick Perkins said he loved that Wembanyama didn’t shake the Knicks’ hands, citing that Larry Bird, Isiah Thomas, and other past NBA greats never shook hands. “We have to get back to rivalries,” Perkins said. “We have to get back to guys not liking one another. It is good and great for the game of basketball.”
Iconic New York City rapper Cam’ron, from Harlem, to be exact, disagreed with Perkins, saying, “As a professional, you gotta shake hands. […] I like Wemby’s attitude, but you gotta be a professional. It’s the same thing when you’re a professional, and you have to go postgame. You don’t want to do postgame [media]. It’s part of the deal.”
Cam’ron added, “You gotta man up. I like what Draymond [Green] said — actually look him in the eyes because I’m probably gonna see you again. Most likely. Hopefully. I want to see you again.”