Victor Wembanyama has not been officially suspended by the NBA after his Flagrant 2 foul and ejection against the Minnesota Timberwolves, but his status for Game 5 is now one of the biggest questions of the Spurs’ playoff run.
The San Antonio Spurs star was ejected in the second quarter of Game 4 after officials reviewed an elbow that hit Timberwolves forward Naz Reid near the chin/neck area while players were battling for a rebound. Minnesota went on to win 114-109, tying the Western Conference semifinal series at 2-2 and putting immediate pressure on the league to decide whether Wembanyama’s punishment ends with the ejection and fine or extends into Game 5.
As of publication, the NBA had not announced an official suspension decision. The league is expected to review the play before Game 5, which is scheduled for Tuesday in San Antonio. The intermediary period is likely to be filled with commentary, speculation and lobbying from both sides because the ruling could reshape the series. This post will be updated as soon as the news breaks.
Victor Wembanyama Was Ejected for a Flagrant 2 on Naz Reid During Spurs-Timberwolves Game 4
The play happened with 8:39 left in the first half. Wembanyama secured or contested a rebound in traffic, then swung his elbow and made contact with Reid. Officials reviewed the play and assessed Wembanyama a Flagrant 2, which carries an automatic ejection.
Under the NBA’s official rule language, both Flagrant 1 and Flagrant 2 fouls result in two free throws and possession for the offended team. A Flagrant 2 also results in the offending player’s ejection.
That part is no longer in dispute. The question is whether the NBA decides the contact also merits additional discipline.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson made clear after the game that he does not believe it should. Johnson defended Wembanyama by pointing to the amount of physical play the Spurs believe he has absorbed in the series, denied malicious intent and said a suspension would be “ridiculous,” according to postgame reporting.
Johnson’s broader argument was not that Wembanyama should have thrown an elbow. It was that the play came after repeated contact in a physical playoff series and should not be treated as evidence that Wembanyama was trying to injure Reid. Reuters reported that Reid was uninjured and “brushed off the hit” after the game.
The NBC/Peacock NBA crew also leaned against a suspension, arguing on the broadcast/postgame discussion that the ejection should be enough punishment. That matters because it reflects where much of the early commentary has landed: the foul was serious enough for removal from Game 4, but not necessarily enough to cost Wembanyama a playoff game.
NBA Insider Brett Siegel of Clutch Points, citing unnamed sources beyond Mitch Johnson’s post-game remarks (apparently), reported that the Spurs “do not expect further punishment in the form of a suspension…”
When the NBA Is Likely to Make a Decision
The NBA’s decision needs to come quickly because Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday at Frost Bank Center. The league routinely reviews Flagrant 2 plays and can leave the ruling as-is, add a fine or issue a suspension depending on the severity, intent, injury and disciplinary history involved.
There is also a playoff flagrant-points layer to the discussion. A Flagrant 1 is worth one point and a Flagrant 2 is worth two. The Express-News reported Wembanyama now has two flagrant foul points, and that exceeding three points in the playoffs triggers an automatic one-game suspension.
Recent NBA examples cut both ways. In 2022, Dillon Brooks was suspended one game after a Flagrant 2 against Gary Payton II that the league described as “unnecessary and excessive contact” resulting in substantial injury.
But not every Flagrant 2 produces a suspension. The NBA can determine that ejection, free throws, possession and a fine are sufficient, especially when there is no serious injury and the player does not have a pattern of similar playoff incidents.
A separate 2026 example also shows how flagrant-point accumulation can matter apart from one-play discipline. Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert was suspended in February for accruing his seventh flagrant foul point of the regular season, according to the NBA’s official release.
Wembanyama’s case is different. This is about whether the league sees one elbow in a playoff scrum as suspension-worthy, not whether he crossed an accumulation threshold.
The NBA will have final say on Monday. Stay tuned for the latest updates.
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