The NBA has decided not to impose additional penalties on San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama following his ejection from Sunday’s playoff matchup against Minnesota, according to a league source who requested anonymity.
The decision means Wembanyama will be available when the Spurs host the Timberwolves for Game 5 on Tuesday night, with their Western Conference semifinal series deadlocked at 2-2.
The incident occurred during Sunday evening’s contest when Wembanyama was thrown out of the game after striking Minnesota’s Naz Reid with his elbow. The contact happened early in the second quarter as players battled for a rebound, with Wembanyama becoming entangled with both Reid and Jaden McDaniels before swinging his arms and catching Reid in the face.
Game officials reviewed the incident and determined it warranted a Flagrant 2 foul, which automatically results in ejection. Television cameras captured Wembanyama on the sideline appearing confused about the ruling, seemingly asking his teammates to explain what a Flagrant 2 penalty meant.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson defended his star player following the game, stating that Wembanyama “gets hit on every play.”
“At some level, you have to protect yourself,” Johnson explained. “Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on him. I get it. We get it. That’s part of the game. At some stage, he should be protected and if not, he’s going to have to protect himself. And unfortunately, stuff like that happens.”
The ejection marked the first time in Wembanyama’s professional career that he had been thrown out of a game. Data from Sportradar indicates this was only the third flagrant foul assessed against the French big man, who earned unanimous recognition as this season’s Defensive Player of the Year and finished as a finalist for Most Valuable Player.
League protocol requires the NBA to examine all such incidents, with officials having the authority to modify, reduce, or eliminate flagrant and technical foul calls upon further review. However, the source indicated that Sunday’s ruling will remain unchanged.
