San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama left Game 2 of their first-round series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday and entered the league’s concussion protocol. With 8:57 remaining in the second quarter, Wembanyama lost his footing and took an extremely hard fall after Blazers guard Jrue Holiday fouled him.
Wembanyama’s face hit the floor at high velocity. As a result, he will miss the remainder of the game, according to the Spurs.
Wembanyama appeared dazed initially, and the Spurs called a timeout. When he got up, he went straight to the back. After the timeout, backup center Luke Kornet took his place in the lineup.
In 12 minutes on Tuesday, Wembanyama scored five points on 1-for-3 shooting, dished one assist, grabbed four rebounds, blocked one shot and committed two turnovers. In his spectacular playoff debut two days earlier, he scored 35 points on 13-for-21 shooting and made five of his six 3-point attempts in a 111-98 win.
On Monday, Wembanyama became the NBA’s first unanimous Defensive Player of the Year. He is also a finalist for the Most Valuable Player award.
