The NBAhas suspended Atlanta Hawks point guard Kingston Flemings, the league announced on Sunday, Nov. 1.
Flemings will sit out one game without pay after the league ruled that he intentionally elbowed New Orleans Pelicansguard Bryce McGowens in the head during their matchup on Saturday, Oct. 31.
The rookie made contact with McGowens in back-to-back plays in the Hawks' 121-99 loss at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans. With just over three minutes left in the fourth quarter, Flemings drove for a layup and his elbow hit McGowens in the face as the defender blocked the shot.
Trey Murphy III grabbed the rebound from Flemings' miss and tossed the ball to Zion Williamson. The two-time All-Star tossed it back to Murphy, who slammed home a dunk to make
the score 119-93. In the background, Flemings threw an elbow at McGowens' head as they were following the play downcourt. The two teams scuffled at center court.
Atlanta Hawks guard Kingston Flemings has been suspended one game without pay for intentionally elbowing New Orleans Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens in the head. He’ll serve his suspension tomorrow against the Indiana Pacers. pic.twitter.com/gLM3GPvcyp
— Michael Scotto (@MikeAScotto) November 2, 2026
Kingston Flemings drives to the rim, unintentionally elbows Bryce McGowens in the face, who still manages to block him, and Trey Murphy III soars for the alley-oop dunk off a lob by Zion Williamson, and a kerfuffle erupts.
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) November 1, 2026
Upon review, Julian Reese receives a technical, and… pic.twitter.com/5CNSCWBXLP
Upon review, Flemings was given a technical foul and ejected from the game. The Pelicans' Julian Reese was also handed a technical foul "for not being a peacemaker during the melee."
Flemings, who is averaging 7.1 points per matchup in seven games off the bench, spoke to reporters after the loss and explained how frustration got the best of him.
"Upset we were losing the game, so definitely apologize for that," he said. "Gotta be smarter than that."
He will sit out the Hawks' road game against the Indiana Pacers on Monday, Nov. 2.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hawks rookie Kingston Flemings suspended one game for elbow to the head
