Wembanyama ruled out, placed in concussion protocol

Wemby out after hard fall, in concussion protocol

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Wemby out after hard fall, in concussion protocolSan Antonio Spurs1hMichael C. WrightWemby out after hard fall, in concussion protocolSan Antonio Spurs1hMichael C. WrightEdgecombe, Maxey star as 76ers tie series vs. C'sBoston Celtics39mDurant (knee) cleared to play in Game 2 vs. L.A.Houston Rockets1hDonovan leaves Bulls amid sweeping changesChicago Bulls12hShams CharaniaGilgeous-Alexander wins Clutch Player of the YearOklahoma City Thunder4hDuren vows more aggression after 4 FGAs in G1Detroit Pistons6hOhm YoungmisukMcCollum plays MSG villain as Hawks tie seriesNew York Knicks23hVincent GoodwillMcDaniels jab: Nuggets are 'all bad defenders'Minnesota Timberwolves13hCelebrities at the NBA playoffs: Timothée Chalamet, Suni Lee and moreNew York Knicks1dESPN.comTim Duncan, David Robinson ... LeBron: What Victor Wembanyama's Game 1 signals for the NBASan Antonio Spurs15hRamona ShelburneThe reality behind the Lakers' surprising Game 1: Their hot shooting isn't sustainableLos Angeles Lakers15hZach KramNBA Futures: Knicks' odds fall after Game 2 loss to the HawksOklahoma City Thunder1dDoug GreenbergBlockbuster trade? New coach? Hard reset? The Warriors begin an offseason with massive uncertaintyGolden State Warriors2dRamona Shelburne and Anthony Slater2026 NBA MVP: Who will win between Jokic, SGA and Wemby?Denver Nuggets7hESPNGilgeous-Alexander wins Clutch Player of the YearOklahoma City Thunder4h2026 NBA draft order: Where all 60 picks stand ahead of the lottery1dESPN staff2026 NBA draft top 100: Where top prospects land on the big board after MarchDuke Blue Devils13dJeremy WooMichael C. WrightApr 21, 2026, 09:13 PM ETCloseJoined ESPN in 2010 Previously covered Bears for ESPN.com Played college football at West Texas A&MFollow on XMultiple AuthorsEmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsSAN ANTONIO -- Spurs star Victor Wembanyama took a hard fall in the second quarter of Tuesday night's first-round playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers and was ruled out after being placed in the concussion protocol.

Wembanyama's spill came as he was driving to the basket with 8:57 left in the second quarter and Jrue Holiday defending. He landed chin first on the court and appeared to knock himself out, with his eyes closing briefly.

The 7-foot-4 Wembanyama sat underneath the basket for several minutes as the team called a timeout and "Wemby" chants from the crowd filled Frost Bank Center. He eventually popped up and ran through the tunnel toward the locker room, with head athletic trainer Will Sevening following.

Holiday was whistled for a non-shooting foul on the play, and the Spurs subbed in backup center Luke Kornet for Wembanyama.

A little more than 15 minutes later, Sevening returned to the Spurs bench while Wembanyama remained in the locker room. The Spurs ruled him out, saying he was in the concussion protocol.

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Wembanyama had five points and four rebounds in 12 minutes before exiting.

How much time he could miss going forward now will be the chief question for the Spurs.

Under the league's concussion protocol guidelines, a player must have at least 48 hours of inactivity and recovery and then must hit several benchmarks while being symptom-free before he can be cleared to play. After undergoing neurological testing, a player must receive a final clearance from a team doctor in consultation with the league's concussion protocol director.

A third-year veteran, the 22-year-old became the youngest NBA Defensive Player of the Year on Monday and the first player to win the award unanimously. He averaged a career-high 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks and a steal during the regular season, becoming the only player in the NBA to tally 1,500-plus points, 700-plus rebounds, 150-plus blocks and 50-plus steals.

Wembanyama produced 43 games with a block and a steal, and posted 50 multiblock games, which included 17 outings with five blocks or more.

In Game 1 of the series, a 111-98 Spurs win Sunday, he had 35 points and five rebounds.