Kendrick Perkins irate at NBA for not suspending Spurs star Victor Wembanyama appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Kendrick Perkins strongly criticized the NBA’s decision not to suspend Victor Wembanyama ahead of Game 5 between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves after the Spurs star was ejected for a flagrant 2 foul in Game 4.
San Antonio enters Tuesday night’s matchup looking to take a 3-2 series lead at 5:00 p.m. PT on NBC and Peacock. The controversy surrounding Wembanyama’s availability became a major talking point after the second-year star avoided additional discipline from the league office.
Speaking Tuesday morning on ESPN’s Get Up, Perkins said the NBA sent the wrong message by allowing Wembanyama to play.
“I’m a thousand percent in on what Draymond said… Victor Wembanyama should’ve been suspended for tonight’s game. Like, real talk as a guy that’s led the league in technical fouls, a guy that was suspended – I got suspended for a slight headbutt. This man looked him in the eyes and lined him up and threw a malicious elbow, a vicious elbow.”
Perkins went further, arguing the league prioritized star power over player safety.
“You know what Adam Silver and the NBA said to the rest of the league? We prioritize stardom and views over the health of our players because Draymond was right. If that was the other way around and Naz Reid would’ve taken out Wemby, he would’ve been suspended for today. You cannot do that. It’s about protecting the brand, not the names on the back of the jersey and that was what that call was about when it came down to Wemby not being suspended.”
The incident occurred early in the second quarter of Game 4 when Wembanyama swung his elbow into Naz Reid, striking him in the jaw and neck area. After a review, referee Zach Zarba upgraded the foul to a flagrant 2 for excessive contact above the neck, resulting in an automatic ejection.
Perkins, Windhorst blast NBA decision as Spurs’ Wembanyama suspension debate intensifies
Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images
Wembanyama finished the game with four points, four rebounds and one assist in only 12 minutes.
The debate over the play extended beyond Perkins. Paul Pierce downplayed the incident while criticizing the league’s physicality standards.
“In my day it’s just an offensive foul and we move on. In today everybody so soft you kick everybody out the game, oh he should be in jail for that elbow. Get that out of here, bro. It’s flagrant one let’s play on. Let’s play our best vs your best not let the refs dictate the series. All right here, give them some free throws let’s move on. Let them play,” Pierce said.
ESPN’s Brian Windhorst also questioned Wembanyama’s actions during Monday’s edition of Get Up.
“This was a very immature act by a player who took himself out of the game… to act like he didn’t know what the results were on the bench, Wemby is one of the smartest young players. He knew exactly what he had done,”
Meanwhile, Stephen A. Smith acknowledged the validity of the ejection while expressing concern about a possible suspension.
“Damn! @wemby ’s ejection — unfortunately — was very warranted. Can’t swing your elbow like that. Very intentional. No debate. But I’m praying he doesn’t SUSPENDED for Game, which is very possible. We shouldn’t want decisions like that deciding a series. But we shall see,” Smith wrote on X.
Related: Ex-Lakers, Warriors guard calls for Victor Wembanyama suspension after Naz Reid elbow
Related: Victor Wembanyama sought out Gregg Popovich amid 2-2 series with T-Wolves
