Jose Alvarado Addresses Wemby Not Shaking Hands After Spurs' Loss to Knicks in NBA Finals on Video

New York Knicks guard Jose Alvarado feels like San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama should have remained on the court and congratulated the Eastern Conference team after its victory in the 2026 NBA Finals.

"I've got mixed emotions. I'm a competitor too, but also I stare my enemies down," he said on The Breakfast Club (5:22 mark). "I look forward to them, I shake their hand. Obviously, it's a game. You don't like the moment, you lost probably the biggest game of your career, but you're going to have more moments.

"And I feel like the way he did it was a little too crazy for me because I loved how he competes during the game. Obviously, people didn't like how he was being aggressive, but bro, we fighting for something. Between the lines, I feel like anything is cool. Outside the lines, shake your hand, you know, shake hands and call it what it is."

The Finals between the Knicks and the Spurs was heated to say the least with nail-biting finishes, physical play and New York fans letting Wembanyama know how they felt when he was both on and off the court.

Wembanyama also picked up a flagrant foul during the series with some debate about whether he should have been assessed additional ones because of some of his actions on the court.

Ultimately, the Knicks won the series in five games and overcame double-digit deficits in each of their four victories. None of the comebacks were as dramatic as Game 4 when they made NBA Finals history by overcoming a 29-point deficit to seize a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.

Spurs-Knicks Highlights

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New York parlayed the momentum from that win into a series-clinching victory in Game 5, and Wembanyama walked off the court in San Antonio without shaking his opponents' hands.

Such a decision was even more notable compared to Jalen Brunson walking up to Spurs coach Mitch Johnson and shaking his hand right after the final buzzer.

"I hugged and said 'What's up' to Coach [Mitch] Johnson from the Spurs first, just to show respect," Brunson said during an appearance on CBS Mornings (h/t Kristen Wong of Sports Illustrated). "… It was just kind of instinct, like it's kind of how I was raised. I think win or loss, you always gotta show respect regardless of the outcome. I've got a lot of respect for them over there."

Wembanyama did not do the same, and Alvarado wasn't thrilled about it.