When Could Victor Wembanyama Return From Concussion Protocol & How Do NBA-NFL Versions Differ?

Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

On Tuesday night, San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama suffered a concussion early in Game 2 of their series against the Portland Trail Blazers. While that would be terrible news for his availability in upcoming games if this were the NFL, the NBA’s concussion protocols are a good bit different.

After a dominant victory in the opener of their quarterfinals series, the Spurs’ chances of moving on to the semis in quick fashion are no longer a lock. In the opening minutes of Game 2, Defensive Player of the Year and MVP contender Victor Wembanyama tripped and fell on a drive to the basket. While that is nothing out of the ordinary, in this instance, he fell right on his face, chin first.

Right away, it seemed like a concussion was possible after it took him quite a while to get his balance back and get to his feet. Unfortunately for the Spurs, he was eventually ruled out for the rest of the game and placed in the NBA’s concussion protocols.

NFL fans are used to concussion protocols, and in that sport, a return for next Sunday’s game is far from a guarantee. This would suggest Wembanyama returning to action in either Game 3, 4, or 5 is now up in the air. However, the NBA concussion protocols are a bit different.

When is Victor Wembanyama most likely to return for the Spurs?

Both leagues’ code of conduct to deal with brain trauma begins with athletes doing very little physically over the first 24 hours. However, in the NFL, players must go through five different phases where they must show no symptoms over a 24-hour period before they can move to the next step. That is why the process often takes days, and being ready for a game the following week isn’t a guarantee.

However, in the NBA, after 48 hours, if a player is not showing concussion symptoms, they are gradually worked back into team activities. Nevertheless, as noted on Wednesday morning, Wembanyama must still “meet several benchmarks in this ramp-up to playing again and then get cleared by both the team doctor and the league’s protocol director.” The process is just less stringent than the NFL.