Victor Wembanyama will play in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals on Tuesday night after the NBA decided not to suspend the San Antonio Spurs center for an elbow that struck Minnesota Timberwolves big man Naz Reid in the face during Game 4, according to Fox News.
The incident occurred with 8:39 remaining in the second quarter of Game 4. Wembanyama, who had secured a rebound while being double-teamed in the corner, threw an elbow that caught Reid in the jaw and neck and sent him to the floor. Officials initially called an offensive foul, but video review led to an upgrade: a Flagrant 2 foul for excessive contact above the neck, which carries an automatic ejection.
The ejection was historic in an unwanted way. Per ESPN Research, it marked the earliest an NBA All-Star had been ejected from a playoff game since the 1997-98 season. The Spurs lost the game 114-109, evening the series at two games apiece.
Despite losing Wembanyama for most of the first half, the Spurs stayed close enough that the outcome remained competitive. Wembanyama, listed at 7 feet 4 inches, is an MVP candidate and the kind of player a team cannot easily replace with depth options.
Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson addressed the play at his postgame press conference and was direct in defending his player. "Just the amount of physicality that people play with him, at some level, you have to protect yourself," he said, via ESPN. "Every single play on every single part of the floor, people are trying to impose their physicality on you. He's gotten pushed down in transition, running freely. We don't complain because we're just going to play. We don't really give a s---. But at some stage, he should be protected. If not, he's going to have to protect himself, and unfortunately, stuff like that happens."
Johnson continued: "It's starting to get disgusting in terms of when he tries to fight through things, be professional and mature and deal with some of that stuff. I'm glad he took matters into his own hands. Not in terms of hitting Naz Reid, but he's going to have to protect himself if they're not. And I think it's disgusting."
Johnson also said there was zero intent behind the contact and that a suspension would have been, in his words, ridiculous. The league ultimately agreed with that assessment.
Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night in San Antonio, with the series tied at two games each.
