On 4th May, Victor Wembanyama made an impact on defense, sparking debate across the NBA world about his blocks.

Taking on the Timberwolves in his first-ever Conference Semifinals game, the big man struggled offensively with 11 points, 15 rebounds, and 5 assists. But still walked away with a triple-double by recording 12 blocks, the most ever in the history of the NBA postseason.

Despite that effort, the Spurs couldn’t convert it into a victory, falling 104-102. Yet a particular sequence in the game's first few minutes drew a lot of attention.

In the first four minutes of the game, Wembanyama recorded 3 blocks. Describing the blocks, reporter Tomer Azarly wrote, “ A good block, uncalled goaltend, uncalled foul,” via his X post.

The first of his two blocks came against Terrence Shannon Jr. While the first block was clean, the second one clearly touched the board before Wemby blocked it, a missed goaltending call.

The third block was a bit more controversial. Wembanyama went after Rudy Gobert's layup; visuals clearly indicated Wemby grabbing Gobert's arm at the rim. A play that should have triggered a foul whistle. Instead, officials recorded it as a block.

A section of fans argued that these blocks weren’t clean and raised concerns over the officiating. Meanwhile, some called the plays “clean” and highlighted the impact that Wemby brings to the floor.

The 7’ 5 big man has changed how teams approach the paint since his entry into the league. Players, who often force their way to the paint and look for a floater or a layup, are dishing it out to the perimeter in Wemby’s presence.

Mixed reactions follow Victor Wembanyama and his historic 12-block game

It quickly split the fan opinion.

One fan wrote, “wemby gets away with A LOT of goaltending to fit his agenda smh.”

The ‘Agenda’ here points to the lookout for the league’s next face. With the superstars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry reaching the twilight of their careers, the spotlight has fallen on Anthony Edwards, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Wembanyama, and several others.

Another fan, backing the center's ability, criticized the officiating, saying, “Wemby clearly doesn’t need the boost. Why coddle a player that constantly preaches playing basketball the ethical and correct way.”

Others leaned fully into the stat line Victor Wembanyama put up. A user wrote, “12 blocks in a playoff game is unreal. Wemby isn’t just impacting possessions, he is erasing them.”m

Another took a creative route to describe the officiating: “Buddy is the opposite of Shai. Dudes immune to the whistle.”

The comparison reflects the stark contrast. Gilgeous-Alexander is known for his foul-drawing ability. Here, in Wembanyama's case, they point out the fewer calls despite the visible contact.

What do you make of Victor Wembanyama’s blocks? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Shahul Hameed

Edited by

Siddharth Rawat