San Antonio Spurs fans will be holding their breath for the health of their superstar.
Centre Victor Wembanyama exited Monday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers after suffering a left rib contusion. The team announced at the start of the second half that he would not return.
The injury occurred in the second quarter after Wembanyama fell to the floor while getting tangled up with a defender. He looked to be holding his right side as he went down.
He managed to get back on his own, but he checked himself out of the game and went to the locker room soon after. He managed to return to the Spurs bench later in the frame, but didn’t return to the floor after halftime, replaced in the lineup by Luke Kornet.
Wembanyama had 17 points, five rebounds and three blocks in 16 minutes before calling it a night.
The 22-year-old has been on a tear this season, averaging 24.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and a league-leading 3.1 blocks in 29.4 minutes a night.
Depending on the severity of the injury, Wembanyama may not qualify for end-of-season NBA awards, as he’s played in only 64 outings this year. He’ll have to play at least 20 minutes in one more game this season with only three games to go in order to qualify.
The Spurs will most likely begin the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference.
