The NBA has suspended Atlanta Hawks rookie guard Kingston Flemings for one game without pay after determining he intentionally elbowed New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens in the head during Saturday's game. The incident happened with 3:04 remaining in the fourth quarter of Atlanta's 121-99 loss at Smoothie King Center, and Flemings was hit with a technical foul and ejected on the spot.
The league made the suspension official in a statement reported by nba.com, which quoted the finding that Flemings “has been suspended one game without pay for intentionally elbowing New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens in the head.” The announcement came from James Jones, the NBA's Executive Vice President and Head of Basketball Operations, according to the same report. Flemings will serve the suspension when the Hawks visit the Indiana Pacers, per nba.com, which first reported that detail.
According to Reuters, the ejection followed a brief skirmish in which teammate Julian Reese also picked up a technical foul. Flemings, 19, was taken eighth overall by Atlanta in the 2026 NBA Draft out of Houston and wears number 4 for the Hawks, Reuters noted. In that same Saturday loss, he had logged 12 points, six assists and two rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench before the ejection.
A Rookie Season Interrupted
Flemings has been a steady presence for Atlanta through his first seven games, all off the bench, averaging 7.1 points, 4.7 assists and 2.9 rebounds, per Reuters' reporting. He had been trending upward, too — the SI Hawks coverage noted he scored 23 points with five assists and five rebounds in a game against Miami on October 28, per a report from SI.com. Losing him for even one game creates a real gap for a backcourt that was counting on his growing role.
Atlanta's injury report complicates things further. Jalen Johnson was listed as questionable for the Indiana matchup, while Jock Landale, Mouhamed Gueye and Henri Veesaar were all listed as out, the SI.com report states. That leaves coach Quin Snyder with thinner options than usual heading into Monday's game.
Who Steps Up Against Indiana
The site's report points to Aaron Wiggins as the most likely player to absorb extra minutes with Flemings sidelined. There's also a chance two-way player RayJ Dennis makes his first regular-season appearance of the year to help fill the void, per the same account. Atlanta already got a glimpse of its depth being tested on Saturday, when rookie Asa Newell came in after Landale was injured early and finished with 13 points and four rebounds in over 18 minutes, according to the outlet's reporting.
What The Rulebook Says About The Elbow
Under NBA Official Rule No. 12, a deliberately thrown elbow or other unnatural physical act toward an opponent is treated as an unsportsmanlike tactic that warrants a technical foul even without contact, according to official.nba.com. The same rule allows officials to assess a technical foul without prior warning at any time for conduct deemed detrimental to the game. Separately, league video rules define a Flagrant Foul, Penalty 2 as contact that is unnecessary and excessive, carrying a penalty of two free throws, retained possession for the offended team and ejection of the offending player, per videorulebook.nba.com.
