San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama was placed in the NBA’s concussion protocol after a second-quarter spill during Tuesday night’s 106-103 playoff loss to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The incident happened with 8:57 remaining in the period when Wembanyama drove to the basket against Jrue Holiday and landed chin-first on the court. The 7-foot-4 rookie appeared briefly unconscious before teammates Dylan Harper, Carter Bryant, Harrison Barnes and Stephon Castle rushed over. After several minutes under the basket, he walked to the locker room alongside head athletic trainer Will Sevening.
Head coach Mitch Johnson confirmed postgame that Wembanyama “has a concussion and he’s in the protocol,” adding that no additional injuries were being evaluated. Under league rules, players must wait at least 48 hours before full activity and must be symptom-free while meeting incremental benchmarks. Game 3 of the first-round series is Friday in Portland.
Wembanyama logged 12 minutes, finishing with five points and four rebounds. He departed the arena before the final buzzer, according to a team spokesperson.
Holiday was assessed a non-shooting foul on the play. “I didn’t think I touched him, but I wasn’t sure,” the guard said.
Teammate Keldon Johnson acknowledged the loss of the star center but stressed confidence in the roster: “It’s a big hit that we don’t have the big fellow. But we’re a good team and we’ll stay together.” Castle echoed the sentiment, noting that San Antonio has “played tough games without him.”
The 22-year-old was named the league’s youngest—and first unanimous—Defensive Player of the Year on Monday after averaging 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks and one steal during the regular season. He became the only NBA player this year to surpass 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 150 blocks and 50 steals, adding 43 games with at least one block and one steal and 50 multi-block outings.
Wembanyama scored 35 points in San Antonio’s 111-98 win in Game 1. The Spurs swept all three regular-season meetings with Portland, none of which he played.
Source: ESPN
