Victor Wembanyama Is 22 Years Old and the NBA Finals Showed He Still Hasn't Learned How to Lose

Holy smokes, did you guys see that?! The Knicks finally snagged their first NBA championship in over 50 years, absolutely wild scenes in New York, I'm sure the Emerald City would be just as loud if our teams pulled that off. But amidst all the celebration after Game 5 in San Antonio, there was a moment that spoke volumes, not about winning, but about class, and man, it made one of the league's brightest young stars look kinda rough.

The Postgame Shake That Drew a Line in the Sand

So, the final buzzer goes off, the Knicks just clinched it, and Jalen Brunson, fresh off leading his team to glory, has this towel draped over his shoulders. What does he do? He doesn't just sprint off to celebrate with his squad or his dad. Nope. Brunson makes a beeline for the scorer's table, finds Spurs coach Mitch Johnson, shakes his hand, and shares a quick embrace. It was a proper, respectful moment, showing total class. But then, you had Victor Wembanyama. The dude had just bricked the last futile shot of the game, and what did he do? He walked away from half-court, straight to the players' tunnel, without even a single glance back at Brunson or the celebrating Knicks. Not a look, not a nod, just gone. The headlines the next day were brutal for Wemby, and honestly, they wrote themselves.

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Brunson's Quote Is a Punch to the Gut for Wembanyama

Brunson's post-championship tour interviews were all about his superstar status, and he kept it real on that handshake. He said, "I hugged and said 'What's up' to Coach [Mitch] Johnson from the Spurs first, just to show respect. ... It was just kind of instinct, like it's kind of how I was raised. I think win or loss, you always gotta show respect regardless of the outcome. I've got a lot of respect for them over there." Talk about a mic drop! When you hear that, and then remember Wemby's walk-off, it just makes the criticism on the 22-year-old even louder. This was a tense series, too, with Wemby even getting away with two fouls on Brunson. For New Yorkers, Wemby became a full-blown villain, up there with Knick-killer Trae Young. The criticism was unanimous, everyone saying he should've shaken hands, whether it was Brunson's or even Coach Mike Brown's or any other Knick's. As the guy who's supposed to be the face of the NBA, you gotta learn to lose with grace. We've seen this before, like LeBron James refusing to shake Dwight Howard's hand after the 2009 Eastern Conference finals. It's not a good look, ever.

So what's next for Wemby? He's got all the talent in the world, no doubt. But for a player poised to be the future of the league, this moment is a huge learning curve. Respect in victory and defeat, that's what true champions are made of. We'll be watching to see if he picks up that lesson moving forward. Every game is a chance to grow, and for Wemby, that growth needs to happen off the scoreboard too.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.