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Victor Wembanyama found himself in an unfamiliar situation during Game 4.
Midway through the second quarter, the young Spurs player was hit with a Flagrant 2 foul after officials reviewed footage showing him elbowing Naz Reid in the neck. Confused by the ruling, Wembanyama turned to his teammate Harrison Barnes for clarification, asking, “What does that mean?”
This exchange, caught live by NBC cameras on Sunday, ended with Wembanyama nodding in understanding. He then high-fived a few teammates and exited the bench, marking the first ejection of his career.
The incident unfolded as Wembanyama, Reid, and another Timberwolves player were vying for a rebound. After securing the ball, Wembanyama swung his elbow, inadvertently striking Reid at the Target Center.
As Reid tumbled to the floor, Wembanyama’s game was cut short, leaving him with just four points and a shooting record of 2-for-5 in 12 minutes of play.
“I by no means thought it was intentional,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson told reporters postgame. “Tough break. … In general, I think it’s getting to a point where if the people that are in charge of controlling the game and protecting the physicality of the game don’t do that, then at some point he’s gonna have to protect himself. We’ve been asking him to do that now for a while.”
And with the Spurs forced to spend the final 38-plus minutes without their superstar, it altered Game 4, with the Timberwolves winning, 114-109, behind 36 points from Anthony Edwards to even the series at two games apiece.
ejected during the Spurs’ May 10 game. Screengrab via X/@NBAonNBC
Johnson, though, was left furious at the physicality Wembanyama has been forced to deal with — and how he has to “protect himself” on the court if the officials won’t.
“I just think that the amount of physicality that people play with with him, at some level you have to protect yourself,” Johnson told reporters. “Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on him.
The series now shifts back to San Antonio, with Game 5 set for Wednesday, and it’s unclear if Wembanyama will face any additional discipline following the incident.