Victor Wembanyama could return for Game 3 tonight, but a prominent sports doctor is warning the Spurs about the risks of playing him. Wembanyama passed the eye test at shootaround Friday morning, running drills with his teammates as he was listed as questionable for Friday night’s Game 3, according to the official NBA injury report. But a prominent sports physician who has tracked his concussion case since Tuesday’s fall is urging the San Antonio Spurs to keep their generational franchise cornerstone on the bench.
“Curious to see if Victor Wembanyama has a chance to play tonight,” sports medicine physician Dr. Jesse Morse wrote Thursday on X. “I think he has a good chance … Should he? NO!”
The worry isn’t just tonight—it’s what one more hit could mean for the rest of San Antonio’s playoff run.
Morse’s concern centers on a documented medical risk. A concussion elevates the danger of lower-extremity injury for up to 90 days following the initial trauma. One more hard impact before full recovery, Morse warned, and Wembanyama could be lost for the remainder of the postseason.
“VERY risky if he returns tonight,” Morse wrote. “If he gets another, I think he’s out indefinitely.”
Victor Wembanyama Concussion Timeline Ahead of Game 3
Wembanyama left Tuesday’s Game 2 after crashing face-first into the hardwood with 8:57 remaining in the second quarter, the apparent result of contact from Portland Trail Blazers guard Jrue Holiday while driving the lane. San Antonio dropped that game 106-103, leveling the first-round series at 1-1. The Frenchman had set a Spurs franchise playoff scoring record (35 points) in his postseason debut in Game 1.
Under NBA concussion protocol, Wembanyama cannot return until he clears multiple benchmarks while symptom-free, with sign-off from both the team physician and an independent league specialist. The minimum waiting period is 48 hours. Game 3 tips in Portland at 10:30 p.m. ET Friday, roughly 74 hours after the fall, putting him outside the restricted window. But is it enough?
The Athletic‘s Jared Weiss reported Thursday that Wembanyama participated in shootaround drills, indicating that San Antonio may play him Friday night.
Medical Experts Warn Spurs Against Rushing Wembanyama
Morse’s alarm draws support from neurological data. Dr. Ali Seifi, medical director of the Neuro-ICU at University Health and division chief of neurocritical care at UT Health San Antonio, told San Antonio Express-News reporter Lily O’Neill that a second concussion arriving before the brain has stabilized carries significant neurological danger.
“If someone gets another concussion within the first 48 hours of the first, this could lead to a severe impact on the brain,” Dr. Seifi said. Full clearance under league protocol, requiring graduated physical activity and dual physician sign-off, typically runs six to seven days, he added.
The Concussion & CTE Foundation founding CEO Chris Nowinski, reviewing Tuesday’s replay, called it “an ugly concussion” and flagged two visible warning signs: Wembanyama was slow to rise and lost his balance getting up, according to Yahoo Sports‘ Tom Haberstroh. Injury tracker Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com found the average NBA player missed 9.3 days following a concussion this season, a timetable that points toward a Game 5 return for Wembanyama, or later. Not tonight.
In three seasons with San Antonio, Wembanyama has averaged 23.4 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.5 blocks per game and won the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award this season as the first unanimous selection in NBA history. The Spurs have not confirmed whether he will be on the floor for Friday night’s tip.
Spurs Victor Wembanyama Warned by Sports Doctor About Playing Game 3 Tonight