Getty
Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs walks on the court in the second quarter of the NBA Cup final against the New York Knicks at T-Mobile Arena on December 16, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The San Antonio Spurs entered the 2026 NBA Playoffs as one of the most exciting young teams in the league. But in the blink of an eye, literally everything changed.
Victor Wembanyama’s face-first fall in Game 2 against the Portland Trail Blazers is now a hot topic across the league, and the questions surrounding his return grow louder with every passing hour.
GettyVictor Wembanyama holds his head after falling to the court
ESPN’s Mike Wilbon was quite honest. In a sharp postgame breakdown, Wilbon said point-blank:
“I don’t think San Antonio can win this year.” He made clear this isn’t about doubt in Wembanyama’s long-term ceiling, quite the opposite.
As Wilbon put it: “He’s going to be the face and the energy of this league, and of worldwide basketball, for a long time, but it doesn’t mean you’re ready to do that without great disappointment first.”
Wilbon drew on the NBA’s deepest historical precedent, pointing out that even Russell, Magic, and Tim Duncan are rare exceptions to the rule of early heartbreak.
“Including Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kobe with air balls — they all get not just disappointment, but the disappointment that leaves them wanting to be in bed, covers pulled up until August,” he noted.
"He's going to be the face and the energy of this league, and of worldwide basketball, for a long time, but it doesn't mean you're ready to do that without great disappointment first."@RealMikeWilbon breaks down what Wemby's concussion means for the Spurs' playoff hopes ✍️ pic.twitter.com/asS7E7dCAf
— First Take (@FirstTake) April 22, 2026
GettyVictor Wembanyama could not return soon.
The concussion protocol of the NBA mandates at least 48 hours of rest without any physical activities before the player can even be tested for any of the benchmarks. Besides, the final clearance should come from both the team physician and the league’s concussion protocol director.
Research published on NBA concussion data from 1999–2018 shows players missed an average of 7.7 days and 3.5 games following a first-time concussion.
Wilbon flagged the travel element as a factor too often overlooked:
“We don’t know if he can fly. We don’t know if he even will be cleared to fly. This is not San Antonio to Dallas where you put him in a car and drive him.” With Game 3 scheduled for Friday, the math is simple: There is a high chance that Wembanyama will be out for the game.
GettyPortland Trailblazers team
San Antonio managed to finish the regular season at 12-6 without Wembanyama, so it’s clear that their team is not entirely dependent on one player. Fox will handle most of the offense, while Kornet and Castle will fill the big man roles in Wembanyama’s absence.
But Wilbon’s bigger concern wasn’t talent; it was experience. “That game can haunt them. Because if you go now, you can’t drop that second game in Portland and come back 3–1. We’ve seen most teams can’t come back from that.”
The Spurs already trail 1–1, and Wilbon warned that putting a concussed Wembanyama on the floor carries serious risk: “He was knocked out when he was on the floor. He looked like he’d been hit by Mike Tyson in 1989.”
The Spurs must now win without him or face a hole too deep to climb out of, with or without their franchise player’s return.
Jayesh Pagar Jayesh Pagar is a writer at Heavy Sports, covering the New York Knicks and other NBA teams. He brings four years of experience across digital sports media, including NBA, WNBA, college basketball, and college football. He covered as the Knicks beat writer for ONSI and has written for PFSN, Sporting News, and ClutchPoints. More about Jayesh Pagar
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