Criticism Mounts As Referees Appear To Regularly Miss Victor Wembanyama Goaltending

May 4, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) walks up the court in the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves during game one of the second round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Timberwolves, led by a somewhat hobbled Anthony Edwards, pulled off a miraculous win over the San Antonio Spurs in Game 1 of their Western Conference Semifinals series on Monday night.

The Wolves emerged with a hard-fought 104-102 victory on the road despite an historic performance from Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama, who tallied a 12-block triple-double in the game.

Guard Terrance Shannon Jr. stepped up big time for the Wolves, scoring 16 points in the contest, and made it clear after the game that he will not be deterred.

“He gonna have to block it every time, I ain’t gonna stop going downhill and I told him that when he said a little something after he blocked my second one,” Shannon said. “He gonna have to block it every time, man. I know he ain’t gonna block it every single time. I’m gonna dunk on him.”

However, fans on social media are calling out the game’s referees for crediting Wemby with blocks on what appear to be obvious goaltends.

Fans were critical of the officiating on social media.

“The NBA’s urgency to make Wembanyama something he’s years away from becoming needs to be studied,” one fan wrote on X.

“I hope they take a look at this and call game 2 better. Don’t mind the fouls, it’s the goal tends which are kinda unforgivable,” someone else added.

“NBA gotta watch this closer going forward. If the wolves would’ve lost this there would be chaos lol,” another fan added.

For Wemby’s part, he may be focusing more on the offensive end for the remainder of the series anyway.