Victor Wembanyama’s night of celebration turned into concern when the San Antonio Spurs’ newly crowned Defensive Player of the Year struck his head hard on the floor during Game 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers, forcing him to exit the contest. Despite the 106-103 series-tying loss at Frost Bank Center, the Spurs’ primary concern now centers on Wembanyama’s fitness for the remainder of the series and their championship aspirations. The 22-year-old star appears to be in good spirits, however, with teammate Dylan Harper confirming his positive demeanor following the incident.

“I mean, he spun, hit his head, and I was like, ‘Ooh.’ I tried to talk to him. He was like, ‘I’m good, my head just hurt a little bit,'” said Harper to the media after Game 2. “Yeah, I was going to pray for him. I mean, he’s one of the tough guys I know, so he’s going to shake back real quick. I don’t know how he’s feeling right now. Hopefully, he’s feeling better than everyone thinks. But I mean, a lot of his sprinting, that’s a great thing. So I’m going to tip my hat to that and just kind of just stay the course with him.”

With 8:57 remaining in the first half, Victor Wembanyama drove to the basket before inadvertent contact from Portland’s Jrue Holiday sent him crashing to the floor. He landed hard on his chin, the impact reverberating through the hardwood as he lay momentarily dazed. After sitting up briefly for evaluation by teammates and athletic trainer Will Sevenin- a span of less than 30 seconds, the 22-year-old Frenchman and unanimous DPOY award winner sprinted to the locker room under his own power, with Sevenin and Spurs general manager Brian Wright following closely behind.

Shortly after the incident, the Spurs ruled Wembanyama out for the remainder of the game. The injury occurred with the Spurs trailing 34-32, limiting Wembanyama to five points and four rebounds across 12 minutes- a stark contrast to his 35-point performance in Sunday’s 111-98 win.

Without their anchor, the Spurs’ offense and defense were visibly diminished: the Trail Blazers, with Wembanyama no longer clogging the paint, rallied back in the fourth quarter and eventually took the lead for good, with Scoot Henderson exploiting the open floor for a playoff career-high 31 points.

Stephon Castle led San Antonio with 18 points and eight rebounds in his absence, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Portland from completing a 12-2 run late in the fourth to seal the three-point victory.

Under NBA concussion protocol, any player diagnosed with a concussion must observe a mandatory 48-hour recovery period from the date of diagnosis and cannot return to play until completing the league’s required return-to-participation process.

Victor Wembanyama’s availability for the rest of the series is up in the air, and head coach Mitch Johnson didn’t offer much reassurance after the game.

Spurs unsure about Victor Wembanyama’s injury update

Dr. Jesse Morse, who frequently discusses athletes’ injuries, outlined the apparent timeline for Wemby’s potential absence.

“Best case scenario, he only misses the rest of the game, and it was just a ‘scare,’ not a full concussion. Depending on the specifics, however, if Wembanyama is confirmed to have a concussion, there is a possibility he could miss 3 to 10+ days.”

3 days means the French Phenom could miss game 3. If it’s extended to a week, then even missing Game 5 is a possibility. 10+ days indicate that if the series is extended, then the 22-year-old could be ready for a Game 7 clash.

With so many permutations and hypotheticals surrounding, Coach Johnson didn’t provide any timeline.

“I just know he has a concussion, and he’s in the protocol, and we’ll obviously take the proper and appropriate steps,” Johnson said. “That protocol is the protocol, so we’ll just follow it as everyone else does and plan accordingly,” he said when asked about availability for Game 3.

Fortunately, Wembanyama avoided a hospital visit, and despite the brutal chin-first landing, his jaw appears to be fine. For now, the only hurdle left for him and the Spurs is to get through the NBA’s concussion protocol.