NEW YORK – Victor Wembanyama escaped the NBA Finals whirlwind with some drawing in a park before playing a starring role in the San Antonio Spurs’ 115-111 victory at the New York Knicks on June 8.
The French superstar scored 32 points, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out six assists to spark a San Antonio win that pulled them within 2-1 in the best-of-seven series, which continues on June 10.
The game felt like a must-win for San Antonio, who dropped the first two at home and faced a hostile crowd in New York, where Knicks fans emptied out their wallets for tickets to their first home NBA Finals game in 27 years.
“Wemby” escaped the mental tensions of the NBA Finals by leaving the hotel hours before Game 3 and making a drawing of a statue in a park.
“Really tried to relax,” said Wembanyama. “The play-offs, it’s like a whirlwind. It’s hard to put your head out of the water.
“I need some time off, let my brain cool down, recover as much for the body as for the mind.”
The 22-year-old worked with monks in the off-season, but physically he was anything but zen.
“I remember running laps and laps during the summer, and like my hamstrings were burning. But I was pushing through because I was trying to push my limit,” he said.
“In the play-offs I felt the hamstrings burning from running so much, playing sometimes 25 minutes in a row, so the physical aspect is really the difference maker.”
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson was pleased with the aggressive play from his big man at Madison Square Garden.
“I’m sure Victor has numerous sources of motivation,” Johnson said. “I don’t think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than a strong performance and him being on his front foot in terms of being in attack mode.”
For the Knicks, who made 13 turnovers and were outscored 25-18 from the free-throw line, a perceived lack of second-half foul calls upset coach Mike Brown.
But Karl-Anthony Towns, who had just 11 points and eight rebounds, stressed: “That ain’t cost us the game. Turned the ball over. Didn’t execute. Didn’t do what got us 13 straight wins. That’s how you lose a game,” Towns said.
“Tomorrow we have to get back to work, get back to the drawing board and get ready for Game 4.”
OG Anunoby said his team was just “a little bit out of rhythm” in seeing a 13-game win streak snapped. He finished with 28 points, with Jalen Brunson leading the Knicks on 32.
“We weren’t as connected as we normally are. We had some mental mishaps and allowed some easy buckets, and also our transition defence wasn’t what we wanted it to be.
“All we can do is move on and learn from this and take it as adversity and respond to it.”
Off the court, fans greeted US President Donald Trump with a chorus of loud boos, as the Republican became the first sitting US president to attend the NBA Finals.
Attending as a guest of Knicks president James Dolan, Trump stood in a luxury box at Madison Square Garden, the self-styled “World’s Most Famous Arena,” smiling as the sell-out crowd jeered and booed when he appeared on the Jumbotron during the national anthem.
“I thought it was amazing, actually,” Trump told reporters as he prepared to depart from JFK airport in New York. “You mean, when they had the camera on me? I thought it was very good.”
The incident marked the latest chapter in Trump’s complicated relationship with his former hometown, where fuming fans waited in lines that snarled around the sidewalks of Midtown Manhattan with extraordinary security measures in place for the presidential visit.
“I wish he wasn’t here. He’s not a real fan, and he’s just making things awful,” said Errol Ismail, a Brooklyn resident and owner of a fitness company, who tried multiple entrances to get into the venue. “We’ve waited a lifetime for this, and he’s made it about himself, like everything else.”
Trump faced cheers and boos when he attended tennis’ US Open men’s final in Flushing, Queens, in 2025. Many ticket-holders missed the start of the match when security checks related to his attendance caused confusion and slowed entry. AFP, REUTERS