‘A vicious elbow,’ Kendrick Perkins blasts NBA after Victor Wembanyama avoids suspension

The NBA’s decision arrived Monday afternoon, but the argument around it had already spread across television studios, locker rooms and social media feeds. Victor Wembanyama would be available for Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal series between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves despite his Game 4 ejection for striking Naz Reid with an elbow during a rebound battle.

The league reviewed the play and declined to issue additional discipline beyond the Flagrant 2 foul and automatic ejection. That ruling immediately reframed the conversation around the series. Instead of focusing solely on Minnesota’s 114-109 win that evened the matchup at 2-2, attention shifted toward how the NBA handles discipline involving superstar players in the postseason, and whether the standard changes depending on who commits the act.

The incident occurred midway through the second quarter Sunday night at Target Center. Wembanyama secured a defensive rebound while Reid and Jaden McDaniels crowded him near the perimeter. As he turned, Wembanyama swung his elbow upward and caught Reid near the neck and chin area. Officials initially called an offensive foul before upgrading it to a Flagrant 2 after video review.

The ejection was the first of Wembanyama’s NBA career. At that point, he had logged only 12 minutes, finishing with four points and four rebounds before heading to the locker room. Minnesota capitalized late. Anthony Edwards erupted for 36 points, including 16 in the fourth quarter, helping the Timberwolves erase San Antonio’s lead and tie the series at two games apiece.

1. Kendrick Perkins Slams NBA for “Prioritizing Stardom” Over Player Health

By Tuesday morning, the loudest criticism came from ESPN analyst and former NBA center Kendrick Perkins, who argued the league sent the wrong message by allowing Wembanyama to play. Perkins said, “It should, it’s going to be a level of aggression, right? I mean, I think it’s going to be a level of physicality, but I’m a thousand percent in with what Draymond said. Victor Wembanyama should have been suspended for tonight’s game.” He continued, “Like real talk. As a guy that led the league in technical fouls, a guy that was suspended, you saw the video that I showed you yesterday on First Take. I got suspended for a slight headbutt. This man looked him in the eyes, lined him up, and threw a malicious elbow, a vicious, no bro, a vicious elbow!”

2. Is Victor Wembanyama Getting Star Treatment or Just a Clean Record Break?

Perkins was not the first former player to challenge the ruling. Draymond Green reacted almost immediately after the NBA’s decision became public. Green, whose own disciplinary history includes suspensions, fines and postseason incidents stretching across multiple playoff runs, posted on social media that he had faced harsher public criticism “for less.” Green’s career has become intertwined with the NBA’s broader disciplinary discussions. From flagrant fouls to technical accumulation, the four-time champion has frequently been treated as the league’s measuring stick for repeat-offender punishment. Perkins framed the issue less around Wembanyama specifically and more around precedent. His core point was that league discipline cannot appear dependent on a player’s commercial importance, especially during the playoffs when television audiences and stakes increase simultaneously. The comparison with Reid also became central. Perkins argued that if the roles had been reversed, i.e., if Reid had elbowed Wembanyama in the neck, public and league reaction would likely have been harsher. Similar arguments surfaced across fan discussions online, where many pointed to the NBA’s history of escalating punishment for violent contact above the shoulders. Others countered that Wembanyama’s clean disciplinary record mattered. Unlike Green or several previous repeat offenders, the Spurs star entered the postseason without a history of dangerous on-court incidents, something the league traditionally considers during reviews. The divide mirrored a larger playoff question the NBA faces almost every spring, how much physicality should be tolerated once postseason basketball begins to resemble a different sport stylistically from the regular season.

3. Why a Superstar’s Ejection Alters NBA Discipline, TV Ratings, and Playoff Stakes

Any disciplinary decision involving Wembanyama carries amplified attention because of what he already represents to the league. The 2023 No. 1 overall pick arrived in the NBA with unprecedented expectations and has rapidly become one of basketball’s central attractions. His combination of rim protection, perimeter mobility and offensive versatility transformed San Antonio’s rebuild faster than many executives projected. Entering this postseason, Wembanyama had established himself as the centerpiece of the Spurs’ next era. San Antonio’s front office spent the last two seasons reshaping the roster around his timeline, adding defensive length, shooting depth and veteran stability to accelerate the franchise’s return to contention. Against Minnesota, his impact has extended beyond scoring. The Timberwolves have repeatedly adjusted lineups to handle his defensive range, often forcing Reid and Rudy Gobert into uncomfortable spacing decisions when Wembanyama roams as a help defender. That visibility partly explains why the incident exploded nationally within minutes. Superstars alter the stakes of disciplinary rulings because every postseason game involving them affects television ratings, competitive balance and league attention. Perkins directly challenged that reality during his ESPN appearance. His argument was that protecting star availability cannot outweigh enforcing standards consistently across the league. The NBA, however, has historically balanced intent, prior behavior, game context and injury outcome during reviews. Reid remained in the game after the elbow and finished with 15 points and nine rebounds, a factor that may have influenced the league office’s final decision.

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• Victor Wembanyama
• Naz Reid