The intensity of the NBA Playoffs caught up with Victor Wembanyama. The San Antonio Spurs star was ejected for the first time in his career during Game 4 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves, in a game that had already turned heated by the second quarter.
The play that changed the game came with 8:39 left in the first half. After grabbing an offensive rebound, Wembanyama found himself surrounded by Naz Reid and Jaden McDaniels. Trying to clear space, the French big man struck Reid with an elbow between the jaw and neck, sending him to the floor.
Officials initially called an offensive foul, but after review the contact was upgraded to a flagrant foul 2which carries an automatic ejection.
Wembanyama’s reaction on the bench showed just how surprised he was by the ruling. Sitting next to teammates, the Frenchman asked Harrison Barnes what was happening. The answer came immediately: “You got ejected”. At that point, the Spurs big man, visibly stunned, replied: “I’m ejected? Ok…”.
Reid, for his part, took it in stride: “Pain is weakness leaving the body, nothing more”. He then knocked down both free throws.
Spurs defend Wembanyama
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson did not excuse the play itself, but he opened a broader conversation that went well beyond this single game. According to Johnson, officials are not doing enough to protect Wembanyama from the constant physical play opponents throw at him every possession.
According to Johnson, Wembanyama is being targeted on virtually every trip down the floor.
Every single possession, in every area of the court, they’re trying to hit him physically. He gets shoved constantly, even in transition. At some point he has to protect himself
Mitch Johnson
Johnson then doubled down:
It’s becoming disgusting to watch how hard he tries to stay professional and mature while dealing with all of this. I’m glad he reacted. Not because he hit Naz Reid, but because if nobody protects him, he’ll have to do it himself
Mitch Johnson
De’Aaron Fox offered a similar read of the incident:
They were grabbing his left arm. Situations like that happen. If the foul gets called first, probably nothing happens
De’Aaron Fox
Dylan Harper was on the same page, openly talking about the frustration the French star had built up:
You could see how frustrated he was. I don’t think it was intentional. It was more like, ‘They keep grabbing me and I need to protect myself because nobody else will’
Dylan Harper
What does Wembanyama risk?
A flagrant foul 2 carries a minimum $2,000 fine and triggers a review by the league office for any additional discipline.
The Spurs, however, hope the matter ends there. Johnson was very clear on that point as well:
They made the decision based on the result of the play. That’s fine. But adding more penalties would be ridiculous
Mitch Johnson
In the end, maybe the image that best tells this story is not the elbow or the ejection. It is a 22-year-old sitting on the bench, almost in disbelief, asking: “I’m ejected?” Wembanyama is still in that phase where the NBA can surprise him – while also learning that nobody is going to give him a break just because he may be the most talented player of them all. Game 5 is already tomorrow.
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