Second-year San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle is hopeful that Victor Wembanyama’s concussion may be less serious than initially estimated.
After the Spurs suffered a 106-103 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 2 on Tuesday, Castle provided an optimistic update on his star teammate.
“I was just checking on him, making sure he was OK,” Castle said, via ESPN’s Michael C. Wright.
“I was subbing in. Obviously, he ran off [the floor]. So, that’s a good sign.”
Castle was referring to the sequence of events that led to Wemby running off the court after crashing chin-first on the court early in the second quarter while driving to the basket. After sitting underneath the rim for several minutes, he ran out into the tunnel just as Castle, Carter Bryant and other Spurs teammates checked on him.
Victor Wembanyama Injury Update
Jrue Holiday, who defended Wemby during his fall, did not realize the Spurs star was hurt or concussed until he saw the Frenchman run off the court.
“I got the foul call,” Holiday said of guarding Wemby’s drive to the basket.
“I didn’t think I touched him, but I don’t really know. After they called the foul, I went to complain to the ref. I didn’t really see [Wembanyama’s fall].”
Wemby entered the NBA’s concussion protocol on Tuesday after the Spurs ruled him out for the rest of the game against the Blazers.
As per the NBA’s concussion protocol, a player cannot return to basketball activities for at least 48 hours after the concussion/injury, but can resume gradual activity after 24 hours if symptoms subside. Furthermore, the player is required to meet several benchmarks while symptom-free to be cleared, and then must obtain clearances from both the Spurs team doctor and the NBA’s specialized protocol doctor.
Victor Wembanyama Return Timeline
Based on the aforementioned guidelines, the next 24 hours could determine Wemby’s availability for Game 3 on Friday and Game 4 on Sunday.
“I just know he has a concussion and he’s in the protocol,” Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said of Wemby sustaining a concussion.
“We’ll obviously take the proper and appropriate steps.”
While analyzing Wemby’s possible return timeline, sports medicine expert Jesse Morse, M.D. detailed the various possibilities moving forward.
“Best case scenario, he only misses the rest of the game, and it was just a ‘scare,’ not a full concussion,” Morse wrote on X.
Morse added that Wemby, the 2025-26 Defensive Player of the Year, could miss up to 10 days if his concussion symptoms act up over the next few days. In such a scenario, the Frenchman may miss most of the first-round series against the Blazers.
“Depending on the specifics, however, if Wembanyama is confirmed to have a concussion, there is a possibility he could miss 3 to 10+ days depending on his symptoms and how quickly he’s able to clear the concussion protocol,” Morse wrote.
“The fastest a player can clear the concussion protocol in the NFL is 5 days. The NBA’s timeline isn’t as clear.”
While Game 3 is on Friday — giving the Spurs a two-day cushion — Games 4, 5, and 6 will be played in less than a week between April 24 and 30. As such, Wemby may not have much time to return if his symptoms don’t subside.
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