Victor Wembanyama flirting with breaking same NBA rule as Giannis as NBC analyst shines light on infraction

Victor Wembanyama shone in the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 1 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Wembanyama scored 41 points and grabbed 24 rebounds in the first game of the Western Conference Finals, setting multiple NBA records in the process.

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Wemby became the second NBA player 22 or younger with 40+ points and 20+ rebounds in a playoff game, joining Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who set the record in 1970.

Wemby also joined Shaquille O’Neal as the only players to record 40 points and 20 rebounds in a Conference or NBA Finals game in the last 25 years.

The loss was the first of the playoffs for the Thunder, who had swept the Phoenix Suns and Los Angeles Lakers en-route to the conference finals.

Wembanyama could be breaking NBA rule

At almost eight-foot tall, Wembanyama is very deliberate in how he moves.

The same can be said of his approach at the free-throw line, where he scored 13 of his game-high 41 points on Monday against the Thunder.

Wembanyama’s process at the free-throw line is so deliberate, in fact, that NBC game analyst Reggie Miller believes it could be breaking an NBA rule.

Miller drew attention to Wembanyama’s potential infraction of the Rule 9, Section one – that requires players to release a free-throw attempt within 10 seconds of receiving the ball from the referee.

“Somewhere, Giannis Antetokounmpo is saying, ‘Wait a minute!’” Miller said.

“Every time Wemby goes to the free-throw line, it’s very close and borderline to 10 seconds.”

Giannis has one of the longest pre-free throw routines in the sport, so much so that the league actually had to step in.

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During their second-round NBA playoff series against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, the Brooklyn Nets started using a clock on their scoreboard at Barclay’s Center to time Antetokounmpo’s free throws.

Antetokounmpo had been called twice for 10-second violations in the playoffs once in the first round, then again in Game 3 of the Nets series.

Wembanyama excited for game 2 against OKC

2026 is the first time since 2020 that the Spurs have made the playoffs.

Despite their relative inexperience, franchise face Wembanyama is welcoming the challenge of Game 2 on Wednesday after improving San Antonio’s record against OKC this season to 5-1.

The Spurs are the fifth team in NBA history to win five of their first six games against the team that owned the best record in the NBA that season.

The previous four all won a playoff series against the team that had the best record.

“We played five quarters. So, we’re learning, and by the time we get the experience, we’ll compensate with our effort,” Wembanyama said, via ESPN.

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“We want to win everything, and we have the chance [because we] have people above us in the organization that know how to do that.

“So far, it looks like they’ve put the right people together to give us a chance. Right now, we’ve got a chance.”

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