Wembanyama Critical of NBA’s Concussion Protocols
Victor Wembanyama expressed his dissatisfaction with how the NBA dealt with concussion protocols during the Spurs’ playoff series against the Trail Blazers, which caused him to miss Game 3. He described the handling of the situation as “very disappointing.”
On Sunday night, the Spurs triumphed over the Blazers with a score of 114-93, giving them a 3-1 lead in the series. Despite the victory, there was evident frustration within the team regarding the concussion protocols. During a post-game interview, Wembanyama shared his mixed feelings of excitement and frustration, which he let out during the match.
“Before the game, I was feeling a lot of emotions—mostly excitement, but also some frustration,” he told the interviewer, Marika Andrews. “It all came out tonight.”
The Spurs star had entered concussion protocol after falling hard during Game 2 against Portland, and later, the team confirmed he indeed suffered a concussion.
After the win in Game 4, he had the opportunity to elaborate further but chose not to specify what exactly frustrated him about the protocols. “I won’t get into details; I don’t want to complicate things,” he mentioned, suggesting that he would discuss it further once the season concludes. He acknowledged the Spurs’ medical staff for their care but reiterated his disappointment regarding the overall process.
“I’m not here to say whether the decision to sit out was good or bad. It was just a decision, but I was, honestly, quite let down by how it was managed,” he said.
Wembanyama had an impressive performance in the game, scoring 27 points, collecting 11 rebounds, and recording 7 blocks, along with 3 steals.
