Victor Wembanyama picked up his first career ejection Sunday night.
The San Antonio Spurs star was thrown out of the team’s Game 4 matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday after he threw an elbow that drilled Naz Reid right in his chin. The incident led to a wild scene at the Target Center in what was a critical matchup for the Spurs, who carried a 2-1 second-round series lead into the contest.
Wembanyama went up to try to grab a rebound early in the second quarter and got caught up with Jaden McDaniels. Suddenly, after appearing to gather his balance, Wembanyama turned and threw his right elbow hard. He hit the Timberwolves’ Naz Reid directly in his chin, which sent Reid down to the court instantly.
Naturally, fans in Minneapolis were livid.
The slow-motion replay of the elbow looked much worse than it did in real time.
Officials separated the players easily and diffused the situation. After a quick review, they determined Wembanyama’s actions were worthy of a Flagrant 2 foul, which led to his automatic ejection.
Wembanyama, however, was unaware of what a Flagrant 2 foul meant. He actually had to ask Spurs veteran Harrison Barnes on the bench. He then high-fived the entire Spurs bench, turned and clapped at them several times and then walked into the tunnel. His night was done.
Wembanyama finished with four points and four rebounds in the contest. He shot 2-of-5 from the field in his 12 minutes on the floor.
The Timberwolves, after dropping back-to-back games in the series, held a 60-56 lead at halftime.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
