Spurs' Victor Wembanyama Ejected For Elbowing Naz Reid in Game 4

San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama has been ejected from Game 4 after elbowing Timberwolves forward Naz Reid in the head and neck area. The play occurred early in the second quarter of Sunday night's game and was ruled a flagrant foul penalty 2, which is an automatic ejection.

After an offensive rebound that Wembanyama snatched over Reid and Jaden McDaniels with his unique length, the refs appeared to miss some contact from McDaniels to Wembanyama's head while he was going for the ball. Wemby then lost his composure and appeared to blatantly swing his right elbow into Reid's head.

"After review, there is windup, impact, and follow-through above the neck of an opponent," said officiating crew chief Zach Zarba. "It is unnecessary and excessive contact by Wembanyama. It meets all the criteria and has been upgraded to a flagrant foul, penalty two. Wembanyama has been ejected."

After the ruling was announced, the NBC broadcast showed Wembanyama on the Spurs' bench asking what that meant. Veteran Harrison Barnes then informed him that he had been tossed from the game.

The Wolves led the Spurs 36-34 at the time of the ejection. Wembanyama, who was coming off a massive performance with 39 points and 15 rebounds in San Antonio's Game 3 win on Friday, had 4 points and 4 rebounds in 12 minutes before his ejection.

Wembanyama, 22, won his first NBA defensive player of the year award this season, which was his third in the league after being drafted first overall in 2023. The French sensation, who is listed at 7'4" but believed be some to be even taller, has led the league in blocks in each of his three seasons. He also averaged 25 points and 11.5 rebounds in 64 games during this regular season.

The Spurs are a different team when Wemby is unavailable. In the regular season, they went 50-14 in the games he played (78 percent) and were 12-6 without him (67 percent), with several of those wins coming against teams that ended up in the draft lottery. His unprecedented combination of size, athleticism, and skill makes him one of the most valuable players in the league even at just 22 years old. He already appears to be on an all-time great trajectory.

Without Wembanyama, Luke Kornet becomes the Spurs' top big man for the remainder of Game 4. They also have veteran NBA big men Mason Plumlee, Kelly Olynyk, and Bismack Biyombo on their roster, none of whom have been part of their rotation in the playoffs.

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