Victor Wembanyama Out for Game 3 vs. Trail Blazers, Remains in Concussion Protocol

PORTLAND, Ore. — Mitch Johnson began his pregame press conference with a statement.

"Sorry I'm late," the coach said, about 10 minutes behind schedule. "Victor will not play tonight. There's a lot that goes into that, but he's doing well and progressing."

Heading into Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers, Wembanyama's status was the biggest storyline. The Frenchman entered concussion protocol late Tuesday night after slipping and hitting his chin against the hardwood while attempting to drive on Jrue Holiday.

Since then, the Spurs have played Wembanyama's return by the book.

"We'll just keep going through the protocol," Johnson said, "and hopefully he continues to progress. It's pretty straightforward. Obviously, we hope he'll be back at some point, but we'll allow the protocol to play out. Again, there's nothing more important than his health."

Apr 21, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Wembanyama (1) drives to the basket against Portland Trail Blazers center Robert Williams III (35) during the first half of Game 2 of the first round of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Frost Bank Center. | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

Per the NBA's concussion protocol, 24 hours after a player sustains a concussion, he can begin the process of returning to play. If the player remains symptom free, they can move on to the next step before being cleared after 48 hours of non-participation.

Wembanyama traveled with the Spurs to Portland and participated in shootaround Friday morning before enduring another string of return-to-play tests. Whether he was unable to clear them in time, or at all, is unclear. His return timeline also remains cloudy.

"I'm not the right person to ask about that," Johnson clarified, pressed twice about the Spurs' level of optimism for Wembanyama's Game 4 availability. "Especially right now."

The Spurs won Game 1 111-98 behind Wembanyama's 35-point outing, but came up short in Game 2 after the Frenchman's injury, despite building a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter. Without their star in Game 3, they know the kind of focus required of them.

"That's a big piece that's going to be missing," De'Aaron Fox said, "but we've played games without him. We didn't even play Portland with Vic until the first playoff game. You'd say next-man-up mentality, but the entire team has to step up ... we've got to be ready."

#Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is OUT tonight, per Mitch Johnson

“There’s a lot that goes into that, but he’s going well and progressing.” #PorVida pic.twitter.com/OSbKAgStHP
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) April 25, 2026

Added Dylan Harper at Friday's shootaround: "(Wembanyama) is progressing every day ... all we can really do is pray for him and hope the trajectory he's (on) keeps happening."

Deni Avdija led Portland in scoring in Game 1 with 30 points, and Scoot Henderson followed him up with 31 points of his own in Game 2. With or without Wembanyama, the Trail Blazers plan to remain physical and relentless on defense.

"Who ever is the most physical," Avdija explained, "that team's going to win."

Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round between the San Antonio Spurs and Portland Trail Blazers from Moda Center is set for 9:30 p.m. Central Friday night on Prime.

Add us as a preferred source on Google