San Antonio Spurs superstar center Victor Wembanyama was ejected after delivering a nasty elbow to Naz Reid during Sunday’s Game 4 road matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
While Wembanyama’s night was cut short due to the excessive contact, questions are now mounting about the 2026 NBA Defensive Player of the Year’s status for the remainder of the Western Conference semifinal series.
Victor Wembanyama in Jeopardy of Suspension After Game 4 Ejection
Early in the second quarter, Wembanyama secured an offensive rebound over Reid, promptly turned out of a double-team, and elbowed the big man straight in the jaw/neck area.
Victor Wembanyama grabs the offensive rebound over Naz Reid, holds the ball, stares at Reid, and gives him a powerful elbow over the neck area (with replays)
Upon review, Wemby gets ejected from the game with a flagrant penalty-2
Wembanyama was ejected for the first time in his… pic.twitter.com/UBI0T9EfIQ— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) May 11, 2026
The clear-cut nature of the illegal contact led the referees to upgrade the foul to a flagrant 2, triggering Wembanyama’s instant ejection. The two-time All-Star finished with 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 1 assist on 2-for-5 shooting (40%) in 12 minutes, with Minnesota going on to prevail 114-109 to tie the series 2-2.
According to the San Antonio Express-News’ Jeff McDonald, “the league will review the Wembanyama play tomorrow.” The Spurs insider added that “the question now is whether he will be available for Game 5.”
The league will review the Wembanyama play tomorrow. The question now is whether he will be available for Game 5.
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) May 11, 2026
Per the NBA rule book, “any player who is assessed a flagrant foul penalty 2 must be ejected and will be fined a minimum of $2,000. The incident will be reported to the league office.”
Meanwhile, regarding fighting, “a fine not exceeding $50,000 and/or suspension may be imposed upon such player(s) by the commissioner at his sole discretion.”
As such, Wembanyama faces a potentially hefty fine and/or suspension, depending on how hard Adam Silver lays down the hammer. Fortunately for the 22-year-old, this marks his first career ejection, which could work in his favor in avoiding a major punishment.
There is an established precedent of players receiving lengthy suspensions for vicious elbows, such as when forward Metta World Peace was suspended for seven games for elbowing shooting guard James Harden in the head during an April 2012 Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder game.
World Peace’s suspension included the final contest of the regular season and the first six games of the playoffs after his harsh foul caused Harden to suffer a concussion. However, World Peace had a well-documented history of physical altercations leading up to the significant penalty.
Additionally, in December 2005, Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was suspended for two regular-season outings without pay for elbowing Memphis Grizzlies shooting guard Mike Miller in the throat.
Per ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel, “the Spurs do not expect further punishment in the form of a suspension to be handed down to Wembanyama.”
The Spurs do not expect further punishment in the form of a suspension to be handed down to Victor Wembanyama for his elbow against Naz Reid in Game 4 on Sunday, sources told @ClutchPoints.
The NBA will review the incident on Monday.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) May 11, 2026
However, it remains to be seen if Wembanyama’s first-time offender status and importance to San Antonio will help him catch a break upon the NBA’s Monday review of his controversial foul.
