The San Antonio Spurs-Philadelphia 76ers clash was an action-packed thriller marked by numerous technical fouls. Victor Wembanyama found himself at the center of one such incident that resulted in Andre Drummond being ejected. However, the Frenchman has been getting flak for “flopping” after fans got the chance to have a closer look at the play.
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While talking to the reporters in the post-game press conference, Wembanyama assured that he didn’t flop to sell a foul. Instead, he merely tripped on Drummond’s foot.
“He just stepped on my foot…I just got tripped. I didn’t mean to fall. I didn’t expect the foul to even be called. I just fell,” Wemby said.
Wemby on his unsportsmanlike flop technical, which was rescinded: “He just stepped on my foot…I just got tripped. I didn’t mean to fall. I didn’t expect the foul to even be called. I just fell.”
— Tom Orsborn (@tom_orsborn) December 24, 2024
Wembanyama is known for his clean style of play. Furthermore, clips of the incident support his claim. The footage clearly shows Drummond steps on his foot inadvertently while the ball is being inbounded.
Drummond did not intend to harm the Spurs star, but the situation was complicated for the officials to assess in real time. A verbal altercation just moments earlier led referee Jenna Schroeder to believe that the Spurs center was maliciously shoved. She then issued Drummond his second technical foul of the contest.
Andre Drummond just got ejected off Victor Wembanyama flopping
yes… this actually happened pic.twitter.com/6BvoVCvLi4
— Ahmed/The Ears/IG: BigBizTheGod (@big_business_) December 24, 2024
The following minutes were filled with confusion. Initially, the officials rescinded Drummond’s second technical foul and instead issued Wembanyama a technical for an “unsportsmanlike flop.” However, after further review, they reversed that decision as well, not calling a technical foul altogether.
In the postgame pool report, Curtis Blair provided a clear explanation of their final decision.
“After review it was determined that Drummond stepped on Wembanyama’s foot, and it was deemed incidental contact….Wemby tripped over Drummond’s foot.”
The 7ft 4” prodigy finished the contest with an impressive performance – 26 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 blocks – but it wasn’t enough to secure a victory. Despite Joel Embiid being ejected before halftime, the 76ers clinched a 111-106 win, led by Tyrese Maxey’s 32-point, 10-rebound, and 8-assist near triple-double.
