Officials Going Straight to Flagrant 2 on Victor Wembanyama Elbow Leaves Fans Fuming – “Just Give Minnesota This One”

Officials Going Straight to Flagrant 2 on Victor Wembanyama Elbow Leaves Fans Fuming – “Just Give Minnesota This One”

Victor Wembanyama tossed for elbow (Image via FirstSportz)

In Short
  • Victor Wembanyama was ejected for a Flagrant 2 foul after throwing an elbow at Naz Reid during Game 4.
  • Fans criticized the NBA officials for the harsh ejection, citing a lack of calls on previous fouls against Wembanyama.
  • His availability for Game 5 is now in question due to the automatic suspension that follows a Flagrant 2 ejection.

After losing Game 1 to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Victor Wembanyama and his San Antonio Spurs took control of the series by winning the next two.

Winning Game 3 in front of the Wolves fans was a statement that they were not going to allow the excuse of a lack of postseason experience to get to them.

The momentum was with them, and if they stuck to their style of play, the Spurs could take a 3-1 lead before returning home for Game 5.

Despite that momentum in their hands in Game 4, the Timberwolves managed to get the better start. Then came a moment of frustration from Victor Wembanyama that changed the course of the game.

When the lanky Frenchman had the ball in his hands, Jaden McDaniels came over from the center’s weak side to try to steal the ball. Seeing this, Naz Reid came over on his strong side to complete the trap.

But then, Wemby, with the ball in his right arm, threw a vicious elbow straight into Reid’s neck. After reviewing, officials slapped the 7’4″ superstar a Flagrant 2 foul, which meant he was automatically ejected.

Intentional elbow hits are generally assessed as a Flagrant 1, and the Spurs star is not known for being a violent or dirty player. However, officials felt the intent was strong enough for them to toss Victor Wembanyama out.

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Fans flame NBA for harsh Victor Wembanyama ejection

As soon as clips of this incident appeared on social media, fans threw darts at the NBA and its officials for tossing Victor Wembanyama for something that could have been a flagrant 1.

Some suggested that he reacted after not getting protection when Naz Reid and his fellow Wolves were repeatedly physically harassing him. Fans felt that those earlier fouls should have factored in.

Then there were others who felt that this was the league’s blatant attempt at trying to give the Timberwolves a chance to tie the series. Check out examples of those varied responses below.

Had Wembanyama done this out of the blue, fans would not have sided with him. But there were clear indications of how the Wolves’ fouls on him were not called. Now, his status for Game 5 is in question, as automatic ejections generally lead to a suspension.

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Charles Barkley praises Victor Wembanyama

While Victor Wembanyama’s Game 5 availability remains a question, there is no doubt that his skills are what make this San Antonio Spurs team a potential NBA championship contender.

Victor Wembanyama dunking against the Wolves
Victor Wembanyama dunking against the Wolves (Image via Spurs/X)

Shaq is the most physically gifted 7’0 guy that I have ever seen in my life. This guy is 4 inches taller. He’s athletic and can shoot 3s. It is a beautiful thing to watch…. We’ve seen big guys, but we’ve never seen a big guy that big with that athletic ability. It’s unbelievable.

Charles Barkley said on Inside the NBA

The Hall of Famer believes that Shaquille O’Neal was right that there is no comparison to the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, as he is a one-of-a-kind talent.

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