Charles Barkley Says He Would “Knock the Hell Out Of” Victor Wembanyama for Shoving Jalen Brunson if He Were on the Knicks

Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals was arguably controversial. While it was great to see the San Antonio Spurs finally get their first win in the series, many question if the officiating was in their favor. During Monday’s opening period, Victor Wembanyama shoved Jalen Brunson in the head, nearly knocking him down. To everyone’s surprise, neither a flagrant nor a regular foul was called. And it turns out even NBA legend Charles Barkley wasn’t a fan of Wembanyama’s actions.

While he appreciates the physicality of the series, reminiscent of the NBA’s earlier era, Barkley believes the Knicks should get back at the Spurs’ center. Chuck also noted that if he were playing for the New York, he'd push Wemby back for what he did.

"First of all, the Knicks should stop whining," Barkley said on The Dan Patrick Show. "What the Knicks should do is knock the hell out of Victor Wembanyama at some point because the two things they did to Jalen Brunson, I didn't like it. I loved it. This is a competition. But you can't let (the Spurs) manhandle your best player. ... I was surprised the Knicks haven't retaliated. They gotta do that. ... If I'm the Knicks, early in the game, I knock the hell out of Victor."

There have been arguments that Wembanyama was trying to protect himself from Brunson. Looking at the clip, Brunson did have a fistful of Wemby's jersey as he tried posting him up. However, the manner in which the Spurs star pushed back should've been called for a violation of some sort, if not a foul.

Unfortunately for the Knicks, despite appealing to the league to reconsider upgrading the play to a flagrant foul, Wemby is off the hook. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that the league turned a blind eye, despite Senior Vice President of referee development and training Monty McCutchen admitting there should have been a foul call.

While Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals showed glimpses of physicality between the San Antonio Spurs and New York Knicks, it appears that Game 4 is no-holds-barred.

The Knicks gave Victor Wembanyama a receipt in Game 4 for shoving Jalen Brunson

After Victor Wembanyama's controversial actions toward Jalen Brunson, it looks like the Knicks came into Wednesday's game ready to seek vengeance for their star player.

Jose Alvarado and Mitchell Robinson both got a piece of Wembanyama in the first half. While his intentions aren't confirmed, Alvarado was called for a common foul on the Spurs center after grabbing his leg in the post. Alvarado was trying to box Wemby out by pushing him back and holding onto his right hamstring. The Knicks guard then deliberately pulled the big man's right leg to knock him down.

Meanwhile, Wembanyama found himself getting into a heated exchange with Robinson. In the final 50 seconds of the first quarter, the Spurs' big man attacked the Knicks' big man inside the paint and successfully hit a fadeaway floater. Wemby then taunted Robinson, which resulted in the Knicks center elbowing the Spurs star on the throat.

Despite clearly being targeted, Wembanyama doesn’t seem to have a problem with the physical play. In both sequences, the towering Frenchman was seen clapping as the Knicks kept racking up fouls.