By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer | San Antonio Express-News (SAEN), 2026-04-21 20:50:44
Victor Wembanyama sits on the court after taking a hard fall in the first half against Portland on Tuesday night at Frost Bank Center on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.
Spurs star Victor Wembanyama was ruled out for the remainder of Tuesday night’s playoff game with the Portland Trail Blazers after entering the NBA’s concussion protocol in the second period.
Wembanyama landed hard on his chin after getting fouled by Jrue Holiday in the paint while driving to the basket with 8:57 left in the first half. The 22-year-old Frenchman appeared to be dazed after the fall and was on the court for about 30 seconds before sitting up for about a minute while being checked on by his teammates and athletic trainer Will Sevening.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson called a timeout before Wembanyama got to his feet under his own power and headed to the locker room with Sevening and Spurs general manager Brian Wright trailing behind.
Shortly after Sevening and Wright left the locker room, the Spurs announced Wembanyama was out for the rest of the game.
The Spurs trailed 34-32 when Wembanyama suffered the injury. Wembanyama finished with five points and four rebounds in 12 minutes after scoring 35 points in Sunday’s 111-98 win in the best-of-seven first-round Western Conference series.
The Spurs did not have a timeline for Wembanyama’s return. Per the NBA’s concussion protocol, if a player is diagnosed with a concussion, he cannot return to participating for at least 48 hours, including the date of diagnosis, and until after he completes the required return-to-participation process.
NBA players typically miss at least a week after suffering a concussion. Game 5, if necessary, is set for April 28 at the Frost Bank Center.
Game 3 is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. Friday in Portland. Game 4 is set for 2:30 p.m. Sunday.
The Spurs won the season series against the Trail Blazers 2-1 with Wembanyama sitting out all three games, but his loss would be a severe blow to a team with championship aspirations.
The Spurs were 12-6 in the regular season without Wembanyama.
By Tom Orsborn, Staff Writer, via San Antonio Express-News
