Victor Wembanyama Addresses Whether He Is MSG’s New Villain After Game 3 Win Over Knicks

The San Antonio Spurs miraculously broke out of their cold spell after beating the New York Knicks, 115-111, in Game 3 of the 2026 NBA Finals. After being down 2-0, many believed that the Knicks could possibly finish the series with a sweep, especially since games 3 and 4 would be in New York. However, Victor Wembanyama found his mojo and decimated the Knicks on Monday.

The MSG crowd was completely hostile towards Wembanyama, especially after he got physical with the Knicks players. One notable play was when Wemby mercilessly shoved Jalen Brunson in the head. New York fans flooded him with boos, seemingly becoming the city's ultimate villain. Wemby shared his thoughts on the possibility of claiming the villainous role.

"I guess," Wemby said when asked about possibly becoming New York's villain. "I'm nowhere near Trae Young level, though."

Knicks fans hate Trae Young because he completely humiliated them in the 2021 NBA Playoffs and gleefully embraced the role of Madison Square Garden's ultimate villain. Young and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Knicks 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs. Young averaged a staggering 29.2 points and 9.8 assists per game.

What made New York hostile towards him was his ruthless taunting. In Game 1 of their 2021 matchup, Young hit a game-winning floater, hushing the MSG crowd, yelling, "It's quiet as f**k in here!" Then, in Game 5, he won the Hawks the game and concluded the series with a victory bow in front of New York.

Since then, Young continued to be a menacing figure to the Knicks. Every opportunity the former Hawks star got to play in MSG, he'd make sure to ragebait the crowd in attendance.

So far, Wembanyama hasn't displayed that level of misdemeanor towards New York fans. However, we wouldn't be surprised if they end up hating the towering Frenchman if he somehow turns the series around.

Spurs Coach Expects Same Results From Victor Wembanyama in Game 4

Victor Wembanyama had a Game 3 resurgence on Monday. After a couple of lackluster performances in games 1 and 2, Wemby looked more comfortable and confident despite playing in front of a hostile MSG crowd.

Wembanyama had a stellar performance to help the San Antonio Spurs catch up in the series, 2-1. He added 32 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three blocks, and two steals, while shooting 50% from beyond the arc and 61.1% overall.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson spoke his mind on Wembanyama's comeback on Monday.

"I’m sure Victor has numerous sources of motivation, and I don’t think any of us are surprised or expect anything different than a strong performance," Johnson said in a postgame press conference interview.

If Wemby can continue to dominate in the fashion he did heading into Game 4, it wouldn't be surprising if the Spurs ended up tying the series on Wednesday.