'He has a concussion': NBA megastar Victor Wembanyama rocks playoffs with sickening face first fall
San Antonio suffered a massive blow as star centre Victor Wembanyama took a huge fall directly onto his chin, injuring himself during a playoff game against the Portland Trail Blazers.
One of the league's most prized assets, who is expected to sign a max contract extension worth up to $450m (AUD) over five years in the off-season, Wembanyama was immediately placed in the NBA's concussion protocol after his face-first tumble to the court in the second quarter.
The Spurs eventually fell 106-103 to the Blazers, evening out the Western Conference first-round series at one game apiece.
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Under league guidelines, a player in the concussion protocol must have at least 48 hours of inactivity and recovery and then hit several benchmarks without symptoms before being cleared to play.
A player must also undergo neurological testing and receive a final clearance from a team doctor in consultation with the league's concussion protocol director.
Victor Wembanyama falls face first into the court floor. Twitter
With the third game of the series set for Saturday (AEST), it seems improbable that Wembanyama would be cleared by then, but Spurs coach Mitch Johnson wouldn't speculate about his status.
"He has a concussion. He's in the protocol," Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said.
"We'll take the proper and appropriate steps.
"The protocol is the protocol," Johnson said further.
"We'll just follow it as everyone else does and plan accordingly."
Wembanyama, at just 22 years old, recently became the youngest NBA Defensive Player of the Year and the first player to win the award unanimously.
Victor Wembanyama holds his head after falling to the court. Getty
He averaged a career-high 25.0 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.1 blocks and a steal during the regular season.
He also became the only player in the NBA to tally 1,500-plus points, 700-plus rebounds, 150-plus blocks and 50-plus steals.
"We've all got to step up," Spurs guard Devin Vassell said after the game.
"We know what Vic brings to the table. We've played without him for a couple games this year. It's going to be next man up. Everybody's going to have to step up. That's a huge void to fill.
"We can't get bogged down by it.
"We'll definitely check in on him. Our prayers are with him (and) we just want him to be good."
Wembanyama was fouled by Jrue Holiday after he spun around the Trail Blazers point guard in the paint.
He was not able to brace himself on the fall, and his jaw hit the court with eight minutes remaining in the second quarter.
The Spurs star player was surrounded by teammates as he looked dazed and confused. Getty
Wembanyama remained dazed on the court for about 30 seconds before rising to a seated position and running immediately down the tunnel.
"We're hoping for the best, but I haven't heard anything," forward Keldon Johnson admitted.
"Obviously, it's a big hit that we don't have the big fellow.
"But we're a good team and we'll continue to stay together, have each other's back and do what got us here."
