Hawks' Kingston Flemings suspended after elbowing opponent

Atlanta Hawks guard Kingston Flemings. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Hawks' Kingston Flemings suspended after elbowing opponent

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Renzo Pocholo Salao | Last updated Nov 1, 2026 11:17 PM ET

Atlanta Hawks guard Kingston Flemings has been suspended for unleashing a UFC move on the NBA hardwood.

Flemings was ejected during garbage time of Saturday’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, La.

The ejection stemmed from an elbow he threw at Pelicans guard Bryce McGowens.

The league announced Sunday that Flemings was being suspended for one game without pay, meaning the rookie will miss Monday’s game against the Indiana Pacers.

NBA suspends Hawks rookie Kingston Flemings one game without pay for intentionally elbowing Pels guard Bryce McGowen. https://t.co/5H401alzJs
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) November 2, 2026

There was initially confusion about why Flemings got tossed from Saturday’s game. Both the Hawks and Pelicans broadcasts thought it was on Flemings’s drive to the basket when he seemed to inadvertently clip McGowens. But the incident was nothing worth getting ejected over.

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. Upon review, Julian Reese receives a technical, and Flemings gets ejected for the elbow. Even the Pelicans announcers were surprised by this ejection
— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) November 1, 2026

The broadcasters eventually realized that Flemings threw an intentional elbow at McGowens as the players were running back down the court.

Kingston Flemings suspended for ELBOWING Bryce McGowens in the HEAD https://t.co/Ye69MHQt6x
— BrickCenter (@BrickCenter_) November 2, 2026

Flemings, selected by the Hawks with the 8th overall pick in June, had a solid night off the bench before getting ejected. He finished with 12 points, six assists and four steals in a 121-99 loss.

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