Magic Johnson Calls Out Spurs Coach for Victor Wembanyama NBA Finals Issue

Magic Johnson shared his honest assessment of the San Antonio Spurs, who lost a pivotal Game 4 in the NBA Finals, 107-106, to the New York Knicks, pointing out the good and the bad after their recent collapse.

When it came to the good, Johnson said that the Spurs didn’t play poorly in the game; they just lost control of it. He said the Spurs should be down on themselves because “they didn’t execute in the fourth quarter” when they needed to.

However, Johnson also mentioned a critical mistake he believes head coach Mitch Johnson made when it came to his players on the court, suggesting that not benching Victor Wembanyama at a certain point in the game was a huge error on his part.

“Coach Johnson made a huge mistake. When you’re up 20, ‘Big man, Victor, come sit down.’ At the end of the third quarter, he shoulda took him out,” Magic told Mike Greenberg on ESPN’s “Get Up.”

Read more:Mitch Johnson Draws Harsh Criticism for Spurs' 29-Point Game 4 Collapse

The multi-time Los Angeles Lakers champion and NBA legend suggested that Wemby should’ve been on the bench for at least three or four minutes to rest at that point, and then he could return to the game.

“Because he played so many minutes, he couldn’t take over the game,” Magic told Greenberg.

At points in that Game 4 collapse, Wemby certainly looked gassed and as if he needed his teammates to close things out. He previously displayed dominant performances, including the one the sports world witnessed in that double-overtime thriller against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

He still performed at an All-Star caliber level in Game 4 of the NBA Finals, but wasn’t as effective or involved in the final moments of another very winnable game as he might have wanted.

The final plays were unfortunately mishandled and possibly poorly coached, including De’Aaron Fox’s attempted layup instead of dribbling to run time off the clock or draw a foul, and Stephon Castle’s inability to take a final shot before the buzzer.

Magic predicted that the Spurs would be OK, and win Game 5 on their home court in San Antonio after last game’s performance. However, he certainly highlighted how youth, inexperience, and tired legs can hurt a team especially in such a high-stakes game.

Game 5 between the Spurs and Knicks arrives Saturday at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.

More news:Stephon Castle Explains Spurs' Major Issue After Losing NBA Finals Game 4

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This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 9:40 AM.