Portland Trail Blazers center Donovan Clingan was ejected from Wednesday night's NBA game in Memphis for elbowing an opposing player in the head.
It happened with 3:14 remaining in the second quarter with the Grizzlies leading 52-47. Clingan had the ball on offense at the top of the key with Olivier-Maxence Prosper defending closely. Clingan stopped and agressively swung his arms with the ball in an attempt to create space, or out of possible frustration from the defensive pressure, and elbowed Prosper on the side of the head, knocking him to the floor.
Donovan Clingan assessed a Flagrant 2 and EJECTED. Holy sh*t 😳
— Hater Report (@HaterReport) March 5, 2026
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Officials reviewed the play and deemed it dangerous enough to assess a flagrant 2 foul, leading to an automatic ejection from the game for Clingan. That ruling seems consistent a similar play by Jalen Duren earlier this season.
Clingan finished with 7 points, 9 rebounds and 4 blocks in 12 minutes. His ejection opened the door for Robert Williams III to play more minutes for the remainder of the game.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
