Spurs star Victor Wembanyama won't face fine, suspension after Game 4 ejection for elbowing Naz Reid

The first ejection of Victor Wembanyama’s career has come and gone in a viral highlight that saw him slow-motion hit Naz Reid with an elbow to the throat.

Ultimately, the NBA chose not to dole out any other punishment for the Spurs’ big man, determining that Wembanyama would not face a fine or suspension and that the ejection was enough punishment, per ESPN’s Shams Charania.

He will be available for Tuesday night’s Game 5 in San Antonio. The status of Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox is less certain. The Spurs on Monday listed Fox as questionable for Game 5 due to right-ankle soreness.

Why Wemby’s status was in doubt

Wembanyama was fighting for a rebound early in the second quarter on Sunday night when he suddenly turned and threw a hard elbow into Naz Reid’s chin. Reid went down to the court immediately, and officials quickly determined that Wembanyama’s actions were worthy of a flagrant 2 foul.

Wembanyama wasn’t aware of what that meant in the moment, however, and actually had to ask veteran teammate Harrison Barnes for help.

Wembanyama had four points and four rebounds in the game when he was ejected.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said after the game that he felt there was “zero intent” behind Wembanyama’s action, but said that officials need to do a better job of protecting Wembanyama in the moment.

“It’s getting to a point that 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 going to have to protect himself,” Johnson said.

Without Wembanyama on the court, the Timberwolves pulled ahead down the stretch and won by five points. Anthony Edwards dropped 16 of his 36 points in the fourth quarter alone. The win evened the series up 2-2.

If the Spurs can pull out two more wins, they’ll secure their first trip to the Western Conference finals since 2017. The Timberwolves, on the other hand, are looking for a third straight trip to that round.

But thanks to Minnesota’s win on Sunday night, the series is still anybody’s to claim.