Mike Tirico shined during Victor Wembanyama ejection

Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

Victor Wembanyama’s controversial ejection may have been a bad moment for the NBA, but it was a moment where Mike Tirico was able to shine for NBC.

Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Timberwolves was on NBC Sunday night with Tirico, Reggie Miller, and Jamal Crawford on the call. And as Wembanyama develops into one of the most must-see players in NBA history, the last thing the league and NBC wanted to see was referees having to decide whether he should be ejected from the game.

But early in the second quarter, Wembanyama threw an egregious elbow at the throat of Timberwolves center Naz Reid that immediately garnered a whistle.

“That’s a problem for the Spurs,” Tirico said while watching the first replay as Miller noted the foul was definitely worthy of being upgraded to a flagrant-1. Tirico immediately interjected to note, “there is a possibility that’s a 2.”

Now it was on the replay center to decide whether the foul should be upgraded to a flagrant-1 or flagrant-2, with a potential ejection of the game’s biggest attraction on the line. And while the initial reaction may have been “there’s no way Wembanyama will be ejected from the game,” Tirico was all over the very real possibility of a flagrant-2 from the start.

Most announcers and fans are quick to complain about lengthy replay reviews. But everything Tirico did during the four-minute lull was a masterclass in how to handle a break in the action for an official review.