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Victor Wembanyama is in concussion protocol

The San Antonio Spurs have put behind them what looked like a deflating loss in Game 2 and have won back-to-back games against the Portland Trail Blazers.

With the series heading back to San Antonio for Game 5, the Spurs are one victory away from punching their ticket to the next round. For a side playing their first postseason series since 2019, the Spurs don’t look out of place. 

The big story has been the continued evolution of the Spurs’ defensive identity, anchored by 22-year-old French superstar Victor Wembanyama, who keeps rewriting the franchise record book in real time.

Victor Wembanyama Joins Elite Company With Historic Stat

In Saturday night’s Game 4 in Portland, Wembanyama scored 27 points and snatched 12 rebounds in a 114-93 win over the Blazers. But perhaps his most eye-catching number was his blocks total, as the 7-foot-4 phenom recorded seven in the game.

GettyDENVER, CO – APRIL 4: Nikola Jokic #15 of the Denver Nuggets shoots against Victor Wembanyama #1 of the San Antonio Spurs during the second quarter at Ball Arena on April 4, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images)

By doing so, Wembanyama became the first Spurs player since Tim Duncan to record seven blocks in the postseason. 

On Monday, the Spurs announced on social media that their center is also in his own unique category.

Duncan hit seven or more blocks three times during the 2003 NBA Finals against the New Jersey Nets. In Game 1, the Hall of Famer paired the blocks with three steals. In Game 4, seven blocks, and in the deciding Game 6, he had eight blocks, anchoring a championship-clinching effort. 

Duncan also had nine blocks in the second round of the 2007 playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. 

Wembanyama had already shown his elite blocking ability as he led the league in blocks per game in the regular season. His recent performance came at a crucial moment in the series, helping the Spurs stifle Portland’s interior attack and protect the paint when it mattered most. season. 

Star’s Debut Postseason Run Can Mimic Duncan’s Path

Wembanyama is in the middle of his first-ever playoffs in his third year in the league. He has looked completely at home on the biggest stage and the block record is just the latest example of that.

He was diagnosed with a concussion after Game 2 and was ruled out for Game 3. However, he cleared the protocol and returned for Game 4 and led the Spurs to victory.

At 22 years old, Wembanyama can also do more than Duncan’s blocking record. The French star now has a clear opportunity to follow in the Spurs legend’s footsteps. Duncan won his first NBA championship in 1999 at age 22, leading San Antonio to the title in his second season and earning Finals MVP honors in the process. 

If San Antonio finishes the job against Portland and has a deep run that ends in the first Western Conference finals for the Spurs since 2017, Wembanyama would join an exclusive club, placing him alongside Duncan and Kawhi Leonard as one of the youngest franchise cornerstones to make the Spurs a contender.

For now, the focus will be to see off Portland in Game 5 at home court and avoid any unnecessary drama that a Game 6 can bring.