FS1’s Nick Wright did not hold back when discussing the way NBC framed Victor Wembanyama’s return in Game 5 against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
After Wembanyama avoided suspension for his flagrant-two foul on Naz Reid in Game 4, the San Antonio Spurs star returned for a pivotal playoff matchup with the series tied.
Wembanyama was ejected during the second quarter of Game 4 after viciously elbowing Reid in the face during San Antonio’s loss. The NBA later chose not to suspend him, allowing him to play in Game Five as the Spurs grabbed a 3-2 series lead.
The broadcast coverage surrounding Wembanyama could have crossed a line while painting the young superstar as the victim rather than the player responsible for the incident, according to Wright.
Wright criticized both NBC and the broader NBA media for what he described as an overly protective approach toward Wembanyama.
“It was never more apparent than last night in the broadcast where they framed a game that Wemby was fortunate to be playing because he had avoided what would have been a totally reasonable if not a little punitive suspension, as if he was the one who get elbowed in the neck,” Wright said on The Right Time
“The entire conceit of the broadcast was Wemby’s hero return, as if he had been the one who was wronged.”
Wright also argued the officiating reflected that same energy early in the game after Naz Reid was assessed a technical foul.
“I felt like I was a crazy person,” Wright added. “I was like, ‘Everything about this is as if Naz had elbowed Wemby, and Wemby valiantly fought through it.’”
He added, “The just, snap, double standard for certain guys bothers me. If Luka got thrown out of a playoff game for yelling at a ref, people wouldn’t frame the next game as his valiant return to work. So I just didn’t like it.”
Wright clarified that his frustration was directed more toward the media than Wembanyama himself.
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