Reggie Miller on Victor Wembanyama: ‘Sometimes violence is needed’

Violence is never the answer, but sometimes it is, and Reggie Miller thinks Victor Wembanyama throwing an elbow at the throat of Naz Reid was one of those times.

Wembanyama was ejected from Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night for the vicious elbow. But after avoiding a suspension for the infraction, his Game 5 return was treated as some sort of revenge tour. And no one seemed to be in Wembanyama’s corner more than Reggie Miller, who basically portrayed him as a victim instead of the assailant.

“It was the elbow shot heard ‘round the basketball world,” Miller told Mike Tirico and Jamal Crawford during the NBA on NBC pregame show Tuesday night. “Sometimes violence is needed to get your point across, right?”

Miller forecasted a big night for Wembanyama on the court. And Miller was right about that, with Wembanyama scoring 16 points in the game’s first six minutes.

“What did I say at the top?” Miller asked after watching Wembanyama get off to his torrid start. “Sometimes violence is needed.”

Tirico quickly interjected to note that Miller’s take didn’t need repeating, implying the take on violence may have been too hot.

It’s one thing to argue Wembanyama didn’t deserve to be suspended because the second-quarter ejection in Game 4 was punishment enough for the elbow. It’s another to act like his return in Game 5 was some sort of triumphant feat.

There’s no doubt teams attempt to get physical with Wembanyama, and that might be frustrating at times. But Wembanyama is the one who threw the violent elbow, not the other way around. He was the aggressor who deserved and received an appropriate punishment, he wasn’t a victim who was wronged.