ESPN's Stephen A. Smith strongly condemned the fans responsible for throwing an egg at San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama. The incident happened after Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals, calling the incident a "damn shame" and urging accountability.
The incident occurred outside the Spurs' Manhattan hotel after San Antonio's heartbreaking 107-106 loss to the New York Knicks. Viral video showed an egg striking Wembanyama in the head as he exited the team bus following the largest collapse in NBA Finals history.
Addressing the situation on First Take, Smith did not hold back.
"The fools who did it, not only do I wish they knew who it was and they get arrested, I wish they get their [expletive] kicked because he is real brave to do something like that," Smith said.
Smith compared the incident to previous fan-player confrontations involving former NBA star Russell Westbrook.
"You're doing stuff that you would never do if you were straight up man-to-man with me. That's what he's saying. And he's absolutely 1000% right. These athletes don't deserve that."
Smith was careful to separate the actions of a few individuals from the broader Knicks fanbase.
"Those stupid [expletive] fans, understand, the couple of people who did that, they don't represent New York Knicks fans. Most New Yorkers would never do something like that."
The veteran broadcaster described such behavior as people hiding behind crowds and anonymity.
"There are always a few fools who hide behind crowds, hide behind fandom," Smith said. "So nobody knows who you are. So you can be the kind of punk that would do something like that."
Smith also called for better player security around team hotels, saying, "NBA, the hotels that they stay in, you've got to insulate these guys better."
Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The controversy comes as the Knicks hold a 3-1 Finals lead and sit one win away from their first championship since 1973. Meanwhile, Wembanyama continues to carry the Spurs despite the setback, averaging 27.8 points through four games.
"It's a damn shame that a couple of fools would stain the city the way that they did," Smith said.
