Victor Wembanyama was ejected for the first time in his NBA career—and he didn’t even fully understand the call.
During the second quarter of Game 4 between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves, Wembanyama caught Naz Reid in the neck with an elbow while battling for a rebound. After a video review, officials upgraded the foul to a Flagrant 2. As the ruling was announced, Wembanyama turned to teammate Harrison Barnes and asked, “What does that mean?” Barnes explained, and Wembanyama nodded, exchanged a handshake with his teammate, then walked off the bench—his first career ejection.
The incident occurred during a three-player scramble for a rebound. Wembanyama grabbed the ball and swung his elbow, hitting Reid, who went to the floor. Wembanyama played only 12 minutes, scoring 4 points on 2-of-5 shooting before being forced to leave the game. Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said afterward: “I don’t believe it was intentional at all—just bad luck.” However, he expressed frustration with the officiating: “If the people in charge of controlling the game and protecting players’ physicality don’t do it, then sooner or later he’ll have to protect himself. We’ve been asking him to do that for a while now.”
Without their star player, the Spurs struggled over the final 38 minutes and fell 114-109. Anthony Edwards poured in 36 points, helping the Timberwolves even the series at 2-2. Johnson was visibly upset about the physical treatment Wembanyama has endured: “On every possession, every area of the floor, people are trying to overpower him with physicality.” Game 5 will return to San Antonio on Wednesday. It remains unclear whether Wembanyama will face additional discipline for the incident.
