SAN ANTONIO — Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is in concussion protocol and will not return to Game 2 of the Spurs’ first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers after hitting his head on the floor early in the second quarter.
Wembanyama was trying to make a move to the basket with Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday defending him. Wembanyama was fouled, lost his balance and fell forward, remaining on the ground for several seconds. He tried to get back up but appeared to be dazed and remained seated. The Spurs called timeout, and as several teammates checked on him, Wembanyama got up on his own and ran to the back for further evaluation.
“It’s more than a basketball game for us, so I was just trying to check on my brother,” guard Stephon Castle told NBC’s Zora Stephenson at halftime.
Victor Wembanyama (concussion protocol) is OUT for the remainder of the game after hitting his head on the court. pic.twitter.com/qP8tAf6osN
— NBA on NBC and Peacock (@NBAonNBC) April 22, 2026
Spurs general manager Brian Wright went back with Wembanyama to the locker room. As Wright emerged from the tunnel, the Spurs ruled Wembanyama out for the game.
Wembanyama will continue to be evaluated for a concussion in real time. A formal diagnosis of a concussion could come at any point during the next 24 hours, which would then initiate a 48-hour league-mandated recovery period before he can go through a return to play evaluation. That still leaves the door open for a potential return in time for Game 3 in Portland on Friday.
The NBA’s concussion protocol states that “if a player is suspected of having a concussion, or exhibits the signs or symptoms of a concussion, he must be removed from participation by either a team physician, or an athletic trainer for the player’s team, and undergo evaluation in a quiet, distraction-free environment conducive to conducting a neurological evaluation. Prior to a player being allowed to return to game participation, the evaluating physician (or athletic trainer) is required to review video to assess mechanism.”
Wembanyama missed 18 games during the regular season, including all three of San Antonio’s games against the Trail Blazers. The Spurs had a 12-6 record without him in the lineup.
Wembanyama looked dominant in the Spurs’ Game 1 win over the Trail Blazers on Sunday, scoring 35 points. The 22-year-old was named the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year on Monday, becoming the first player in league history to unanimously win the award.
