San Antonio’s star big man Victor Wembanyama found himself heading to the locker room early during Sunday evening’s postseason clash with Minnesota after striking Timberwolves player Naz Reid with his elbow in the face.
The incident occurred in the second quarter when Wembanyama secured a rebound and attempted to shield the basketball from a pair of Minnesota defenders during the fourth game of their Western Conference semifinal matchup. The towering center then swung his right elbow forcefully, connecting with Reid’s chin, drawing an initial foul call with 8 minutes and 39 seconds remaining before halftime.
Following a video review by the referees, the original foul was elevated to a flagrant 2 violation, which carries an immediate dismissal from the game.
Lead referee Zach Zarba explained the decision, stating: “After review, there was windup, impact and follow-through above the neck of an opponent. It was unnecessary and excessive contact by Wembanyama and it meets all the criteria and it has been upgraded to a flagrant foul penalty 2. Wembanyama has been ejected.”
At the moment of his removal, San Antonio was down 36-34, and Reid successfully converted both free throw attempts to extend Minnesota’s advantage to four points. Wembanyama’s stat line showed four points, four rebounds and zero blocks across his 12-plus minutes of action.
The ejection came just two days after Wembanyama delivered a dominant showing in the third contest, posting 39 points, 15 rebounds and five blocked shots during San Antonio’s 115-108 road triumph on Friday. His performance made him just the fourth player in league playoff history to achieve at least 35 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks in a single postseason game.
The Spurs currently hold a 2-1 advantage in the best-of-seven series.
