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.
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.”
However, after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver reviewed the incident, the league has decided not to punish Wembanyama further. This was the 22-year-old’s first career ejection, which likely helped him avoid a major punishment.
Shams Charania of ESPN reported that Wembanyama will not be suspended or fined for the Reid incident: “There will be no further discipline for Spurs star Victor Wembanyama after he was ejected for elbowing Naz Reid in Minnesota on Sunday night, sources tell ESPN. No suspension, no fine. Wembanyama will play in Game 5 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday night in San Antonio.”
There is a precedent of players receiving 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.
Fortunately for Wemby and the Spurs, he will be available for Game 5 against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.
