Wembanyama on him being “unhappy” with how concussion protocol played out: “I won’t get into the details. I don’t want it to become a distraction. Ask me again after the season. But all the doctors, especially on the Spurs, they were great.”
The “all the doctors” phrase sounds like he’s more annoyed at the bureaucracy/administration stuff from the league rather than any of the medical staff.
Edit: The reason for the silence at the end of the clip is that it looks like his mic got cut. You can see the full interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAZhOLdFVY Whether the mic being cut was intentional or not, you decide. All we know is that it got cut half-way as he was started to get more into his answer, then it comes back in time right for the next question.
If the concussion protocol isnt pissing players off it’s probably too lax
Yeah, don’t think any player wants to sit playoff games
The NBA also has a very lax concussion protocol. Even more so than the notoriously lax NFL.
It’s hard for NFL players to get back by the next week. It’s usually 2 weeks or even 3. Wemby was back in five days and was mad he wasn’t allowed to play in three.
There’s much less risk of reinjury. Five days is a very quick turnaround but even 2-3 weeks in the NFL isn’t enough.
honestly the way Wemby plays the risk is kinda high
Especially when their team has a chance to make a good run
cough Kevin Durant cough
Maybe Ben Simmons
Yeah these comments should be taken with a grain of salt, league probably did fine
NBA concussion protocol brought to you by FanDuel™
I found a full interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAZhOLdFVY
Reading between the lines, I think he’s less upset about needing skip Game 3 and more upset about the protocol itself being not very well handled.
What i got from it was doctors probably cleared him and the league still made him sit
Well concussions aren’t real so I get why he’d be mad
You can’t hide Puka
Don’t forget skattebo
You dont get it man its all in your head! Its not real!
Absolutely agree
Hard agree
totally understandable for wemby to be frustrated but one of the few things i think the league does right.
Exactly. This is something that you don’t want to give in on.
But dude should be happy the league is requiring teams to be cautious. We don’t want the NBA turning into the NFL, with guys living out their lives brain damaged and dying early.
I take this as
“The team doctors cleared my right away and the others didnt”
Which is the entire reason they have a formal concussion protocol in the first place
Agree with this. Team doctors have all the incentive to say “no problem here” based on where their paychecks come from whether that’s true or not.
Tbf this is the same franchise that lost their previous franchise player because they stood on business as to how they’ll carefully deal with his degenerstive knees
Yeah we literally invented load management fam lol
Plus they encouraged Kawhi to get other opinions lol.
Kawhi also knew he was still in pain and wanted to find a diagnosis
not even a spurs fan but yea i do trust the spurs medical staff. they seem pretty smart and careful.
If they did then those doctors should be off the team
Think it through. The team obviously wants wemby on the court. The Doctors, hired by, paid by, and given raises by know this. Even if they set out to behave completely honorably…. subconsciously it is really hard to slip out from the fact that your bosses really, really, really would like you to do one thing, and you are going to tell them no. Those doctors cannot be expected (or relied upon) to be unbiased. It’s too much to ask. The league needs to protect the players in a situation like that. From the desires of the team and from the desires of the players themselves.
You’re correct on the incentive structure but the Spurs aren’t managing next quarters P&L here— they also know Wemby is the lifeblood of their franchise the next 10-15 years so I get why hes flustered
No, after saying “especially the Spurs doctors” he made a point to double back and say “” but the doctors all around were great and took care of me”.
I take that as him being clear that it wasn’t a Doctor vs Doctor issue.
You can then guess it is probably a bureaucracy thing - but let’s see if he gives more detail after the season.
The bueraucracy is important though. There are too many failing points whether it be the team doctor, the league doctor, the coach, the player, where there is a ton of incentive for someone to manipulate the decision to further their own perceived interests. It’s exactly why players and coaches get penalized so hard for going into the tent in the NFL. You have to have harsh rules around this shit in order to actually prioritize a player’s health.
This isn’t bureaucracy, it’s good medical practise
Wemby just understands that he has to go through this protocol, it’s no inditement on the doctors who are just doing their job in ensuring he’s safe
Bureaucracy is not inherently bad. It’s simply putting formal sets of rules, procedures and practices into place and having systems to oversee them.
Checks and balances. Accountability standards. These things are fundamental to any working system of governance whether for the NBA’s concussion protocol or a country’s government.
It’s not a bad word, good bureaucrats save lives and we never hear about them. Bad ones end up in the news so the word has gotten a negative connotation.
And the goal here is to protect the players. Imagine if he had a concussion, was playing again too quickly and something happened. The backlash would be insane.
Totally. One of those areas that doing well means no news and failure means massive backlash.
Though someone else here was saying Wemby’s issue was that there wasn’t enough communication and clear rules, so it sounds like they have some room to improve.
There’s a full interview of him here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAZhOLdFVY
It’s hard to know what happened but it sounds like even for this game the NBA didn’t want to let him play until the very last minute. It sounds like it’s less about not being able to play because of concussion protocol and more about the NBA having no formal procedure and lots of non-communication. I think Wemby understands that he needed to sit out Game 3 even if he was healthy, but he was frustrated more with the overall way the league handled the situation.
That’s definitely a fair criticism then and some shit the NBA needs to fix. It’s the exact opposite of what you want here.
Thanks for sharing
On one hand, I can understand why this is an odd case for the NBA. How often do concussions of all things happen in the NBA? And to your MVP candidate at the start of the playoffs?
But at the same time, if you have a protocol that says if doctors on both sides clear the player, you follow your own protocol. Which I think why Wemby is upset.
The list of shit the NBA needs to fix is getting pretty long.
This video cuts it out but near the end of the post-game interview Wemby says both the Spurs and the league doctors were great. It sounds like they both cleared him, but some other party on the league’s end didn’t want him to play
It’s not, he praised doctors on both sides. Upvotes for making things up
Which is in place to protect players so they don’t play when they’re concussed and so lifelong damage to themselves.
Wemby is proving why they are in place.
Wemby didn’t say he wanted to come back in Game 3. He said all the doctors were great and took great care of him. He just said he did not like how the league handled it, which could mean a wide variety of things.
Here’s the full interview if you want to watch it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXAZhOLdFVY
To me, it sounds like communication was bad from the NBA’s side and they didn’t tell him he could play until the last minute before Game 4 which is part of why he’s upset.
I am positive this was a situation where various people made: rules/promises/guesses
and interpretations of all of the above.
And nobody was on the same page
I’m genuinely curious what his elaborated answer is.
Yep.
Neither he nor Mitch answered “when did they let you know you/he could play today?” Wemby replied with “who do you mean by ‘they’?”
People are assuming it’s Game 3 he was unhappy about but he doesn’t say that.
Sounds like there was miscommunication/mixed messages. Edit: About today’s game.
When the mic was cut, he went off on some weird tangent, “Sometimes when people go to Vietnam, they go home to their mommas without any legs. Sometimes they don’t go home at all. That’s a bad thing. That’s all I have to say about that.”
One thing I really appreciate with Wemby, and probably some of it is just translating in his head, but he stops and thinks to answer every time. He already acts like a vet when it comes to handling the media.
He’s definitely fluent enough to answer right away. 100% agree with you. They are not alike but he’s kind of reminiscent of Kareem in certain ways
Kareem is honestly a good comp
Kareem famously spoke out while being a big player, Wemby was the biggest player to speak out against ICE, which is huge for a player on a work Visa
Obviously I’m operating on limited information because you can’t find that many interviews of KAJ when he was young, but from the couple ones you can find online, his answers were always thoughtful and had a certain candidness that I think wemby also has.
KAJ definitely was a bit more aloof, whereas wemby looks rly social and easy going
Can you imagine if DJT pulled Wemby’s work visa for speaking against ICE?
Wemby would block that
If DJT got an NBA player, let alona a star, deported, Adam Silver himself would lead the charge on the capitol. Imagine if he deported Luka (or his Slovenian brother Hayes).
Silver would host a mass execution at the All-Star game half-time show
I think that’s something you can’t really say for him that confidently. English is my only language and the filters you need for politics, context, and double meanings is a heavy load on top of the fact that he certainly doesn’t think in English, and grew up in another culture.
Some answers you give right away when you really know you want to cut it a certain way, but this type of question and situation is wrought with “avoid saying or implying this” and strikes me as something no player should answer right away.
I speak French and he also pauses to think systematically in post game interviews when they ask questions in french. But agreed I probably shouldn’t assume his fluent enough. It sure looks like he is tho
After a while you actually start thinking in English naturally.
The average NBA player isn’t even fluent enough in English to answer right away, just because he can string together words immediately. Most people aren’t, interviews theoretically demand more than conversation. Wemby wants to speak like an intelligent human as opposed to the rambling responses that have become the norm.
Kobe used to do that too and not say unnecessary things. Even in his interviews from high school, he sounded really mature for someone his age.
Still pretty much the only active NBA player to call out Karl Malone, which given how many players were pissy about Magic City Night you’d think they’d be calling for Malone’s head
Wasn’t only Kornet pissy lol?
i swear there was others but still my point stands.
Theres a statue of a pedophile outside of an NBA arena
I agree it’s ridiculous, but you gotta take it up with Ryan Smith
iirc someone from the Suns like Colin Gillispie or Grayson Allen supported Kornet in saying that. Could be talking out my ass though.
Horford also said something about it but I don’t think he was pissy
He definitely comes across as a very thoughtful, intelligent person. He’s intentional with his comments.
Remember when people were surprised when he said he reads a book before every game? That’s how you keep yourself objective and in the moment. Notice how he doesn’t get emotional during the game or at pressers. And unlike LeBron he actually reads the books.
That LeBron Malcolm X interview still kills me
Dude couldn’t name a SINGLE thing he had read. At minimum he could’ve said it was an insightful read on his progression from being in jail and running around in the streets of Boston, to being a civil rights leader.
Instead he just threw out some bullshit that shows he doesn’t even know a single thing about him
one of the funniest things i’ve seen, the way he looks at the reporter when he says “still” like it’s super insightful
Lmao
Definitely more thinking than translating, his english is already better than most of NBA including native speakers.
hes also the right level of PR trained so he still gives good awnsers but isnt a robot
Honestly it’s something a lot of people should do.
*everyone
LeBron did too back in the early-Cavs days
Judging by how fast he responds and the content of his speech, he’s probably already thinking in English much of the time during the season. I think he’s just careful with his words in general.
He’s intelligent and disciplined.
Dude actually reads books, unlike Bron lol
Purely from watching him speak I think he’s probably one of the most intelligent people in the league
It’s for the long game Wemby
One game in a series you’ll win anyway is not worth it
As someone who has long term post concussion syndrome, there is very little I wouldn’t trade to not have it.
People (myself included back then) have zero idea of what’s at stake. And it’s exactly why players can’t be trusted to decide, for their own good.
The idea of risking that for a first round playoff series, in the first year of what’s probably going to be a dynasty is insane to me.
Glad they made him sit, he’s got a long playoff career including this year ahead of him.
Exactly. And by textbook. He should be out for 1 week after concussion and resume after onlu if symptom free.
This was very quick. And he may regret it in the future.
Isn’t the reason to wait, even in the absence of symptoms, simply to avoid the risk of getting another? So if he manages to avoid a 2nd concussion, he should be ok?
It’s not just hits. It noice, visual stimulus, cognitive stress. It’s all stresses the brain.
My daughter had concussion and the rec quiet and rest. Even off from school.
its noice?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lg5WKsVnEA4
You been to a physio? No joke, underlying neck issues were the problem for me, and I suspect most cases of post concussion syndrome. I really doubted the neck was an issue for me since it wasn’t frequently sore, but underlying neck issues (C2 alignment) can exacerbate and prolong concussion symptoms.
I had PCS for 8 months, within 2 weeks of physio + my own rehab with neck, I was sweet.
Might be a long shot and you might’ve already seen a physio, but if you haven’t then I strongly recommend doing so.
They lost game 2 without him, should’ve lost 3 without him and had to comeback down 19 with him today. Blazers are better than you think. But yes, concussions should be taken deathly serious.
Down 19 to winning by 21… says a lot
And Wemby had a team high +28… what does it say exactly?
Wemby really wanted to sweep IDF boy.
They’re good but not that good. Probably a gentleman’s sweep
I get his gripes but the NBA concussion protocol is there to protect the players from their team and themselves.
Concussions are no joke.
Agree 100%. Am I surprised that someone with Wemby’s competitive drive wants to play as soon as possible? Absolutely not, but a proper protocol should error on the side of caution, imo. The Spurs have a long history of being conservative with injuries (they take a very long view). What would be interesting is if the Spurs medical staff and organization gave the green light, and someone else got in the way. Interestingly, he doesn’t seem to be pointing fingers at the League doctors. My understanding is that they have the final say.
Funny that him voicing these issues just strengthens the need for them. If players won’t protect themselves then someone has to.
A little over a week ago I got knocked out during a soccer game, thought I was fine and just yesterday started getting severe symptoms, absolutely not a joke and it’s a really good thing they have these protocols
I had a concussion playing high school football that Wemy’s reminded me of. Knocked out cold, no idea who or where I was when I woke up but hopped up and ran to the sidelines out of reflex. Doctor told me that I’d feel fine in a week but that it was so important to have no physical activity for up to a month because the brain is still healing even long after physical symptoms are gone. After about a week everyone was bugging me to get back and play. I believe that he feels fine and he is 100% being irresponsibly rushed back
Man there was a guy I met first day of college that I ended up being gym buddies with and he was so scared of when all of his concussions were going to really start affecting his brain. It was honestly so sad because it was during the start of real awareness around concussions and just how bad they truly are. Legit it was always on his mind :C
We have no idea what his gripe was.. he stressed it wasn’t the doctors.
You literally don’t get his gripes
Did they sensor the end of the answer ? wtf
lol they definitely did
they muted my boy 😭
Yeah I saw that on the actual video too. They silencing my boy!
Just like they did with Forrest Gump smh
I bet medical professionals cleared him, but someone in the league offices didn’t like the optics of someone getting a concussion/knocked out and then playing couple days later.
This has to be it
This feels like the most plausible answer
Bro doing teasers for future interviews months away now like he’s Kevin Feige and shit.
Wemby’s concussion protocol will return in a Avenge….
“Mister Silver…. I [do] feel so good” -Wemby
I hope this doesn’t become the norm. Back from a concussion in like 5 days is asking for some serious brain damage. It’s sounds like he was frustrated they didn’t let him play sooner. It also sounds like Spurs medical team pushed hard for an earlier clear
The Spurs medical staff are borderline annoyingly prudent. They made him sit out 12 games off of a minor grade 1 calf strain this season.
For real. I trust the spurs medical staff alot after the minor injuries they have this regular season.
With all the ruptured Achilles stemming of a calf strain I would say they did the right thing
They also notoriously rested him the last game of the season when they might have benefitted from winning the game.
Concussions are very very different. Much less is known about them and the issues can appear decades down the line.
That doesn’t mean much tbh. Concussions are completely different to soft tissue injuries. With that they don’t want to bring him back too soon and risk him getting re-injured.
Concussions are not the same. The major danger of not giving him enough time can cause issues decades down the line. It’s not gonna affect him much now.
Definitely can’t assume doctors treat concussiona seriously just because they do with soft tissue injuries.
Probably something else. He wouldn’t say this in the off season either
I’m thinking he’s debating there wasn’t a concussion in the first place since it’s the NBA’s medics that examined him for it.
Maybe Spurs team didn’t see any signs and wanted him back immediatly.
You have no idea what he’s referring to
What he said did not sound like the Spurs medical team was pushing for anything. What happened to listening comprehension skills 😔
wait what is he referring to? lol what’s the problem..
Probably wanted to force himself back game 3. Spurs medical staff probably told him he’d be good to go but the league doctors told him to sit
He said he said the league doctors were great though. I’m not sure if that was it
I’m kinda wondering if he thinks he didn’t actually fail the concussion protocol test but the league overruled the doctors and forced him into the protocol anyway.
Right, that’s the interesting part of his comments.
I think it’s more likely a lack of communication that bothered Wemby. I doubt league doctors communicated to him the same way the Spurs one do
Wemby and most of the team have spoken highly about the medical staff but also essentially that they’re kinda annoying and the players usually have to deal with the staff being extremely cautious and holding them out even when they themselves feel fine. Wemby, Fox and Castle are the ones I’ve specifically seen in interviews who give me this impression
Anyways, all that to say I don’t really see the Spurs staff being the lenient ones with a potential injury.
we’ll find out when our season ends I guess
I’d rather Wemby be annoyed with protocols than die lmai
yeah the protocols are there for a reason, they’re supposed to be over-cautious for the players’ sake
Honestly felt like he should’ve sat today too, concussions can be serious. The blazers suck enough that the Spurs should be able to win the series without him. Glad he was able to kill it today and hope he feels good.
Shouldn’t play for over a week if you get a concussion.
He’s a competitor at the highest level and he wants to win, I admire that, but concussions are scary. Even minor ones. If he played last game and got hit in the head again, it could have some long term damage. Just look at Billy Bob from Not Another Teen Movie.
You are quite a bit more likely to get a concussion shortly after a previous concussion. You need to REALLY careful.
And like, basketball players get hit in the head a lot. Rebounds, loose balls, contests at the rim, etc. It’s usually not enough to risk a concussion, but if your brain is already in a vulnerable state, you just can’t risk it.
There is an australian cricketer who has had to retire already at 27. Hes had 13 concussions. After the first few, he got dizzy after a beach ball hit his head.
A sport which can get serious contact like basketball, i would have preferred if wemby sat out today as well. Its no joke.
Yeah, I was honestly surprised he played today. Especially since San Antonio already was up 2-1.
I don’t give a fuck what you all think,
The guy was knocked out cold, concussion is wildly known to be a minimum 2 week stand down before returning to high intensity working out, fucking wild he’s back playing 5 days later
Yeah, it’s insane. I’ve had multiple concussions, but (thankfully) I’ve never been knocked out. Even with modern protocol, you aren’t supposed working out for at least 2 weeks, and even when you return, you’re not supposed to be playing contact sports for a longer time that. Returning after 5 days is medical malpractice. If he is hit hard in the next few weeks, while his brain is still recovering, it would have lasting negative effects.
I was at the game in person and I swear there were some moments where he looked dazed out on the court. Even had a moment where he was holding his face and rubbing his eyes.
Yes to this. I get the guy wants to play but I was genuinely shocked he was back today.
I tried expressing this in the spurs sub and got down voted lmao. I really hope Wemby is ok in the long term for coming back so early
They’re just looking out for you bro.
Surrounded by sycophants & doesn’t realize that he’s not qualified to make the decision. Come back too soon, catch another concussion & then he’ll understand it.
Might just be the way it was handled like the communication
League protocols protect players from themselves. It must be tough to feel 100% and not be allowed to play. But there are real risks of suffering a 2nd concussion if you play too soon.
When asked again later: Yo my head really hurt it was no fun.
he’s always a very honest person with the media, but this isn’t really something he should be saying. i get he’s a competitor but it is a good thing for the league to have some standards in place and not allow a player to play a game 2 days after a concussion diagnosis. it’s not something you want to mess around with.
Did they just cut his mic ? What the hell is this league ?
“bur all the doctors, especially on the spurs…”
unintended jab at Kawhi Leonard
And rightfully so, lol
I actually think there are different implications here given he said the doctors themselves were great on both ends. I suspect the implication is that the NBA office still decided to prevent Wemby from playing even if doctors on both side agreed on Wemby’s status / availability.
Why would the NBA possibly do this?
Delay Wemby from coming back -> help Blazers steal a game -> prolong the series -> more ads -> more $$$
This thread is just people speculating and others pretending to be doctors lmao
I like how he doubles down on the fact that it wasn’t the Spurs. Doesn’t leave the organization or the fans guessing in that respect and that’s just one thing you appreciate from your superstar and one of the best players in the league is his openness when he knows it matters
He made sure to highlight that because he didn’t want anyone wondering if the Spurs had done anything that upset him lol
And it seems like he’s not blaming the league doctors either, which is why it’s kind of a mystery.
These guys have to be protected from themselves sometimes.
Wemby I watched you die the other day bro they tryna protect you😭
Bruh i love this guy. So smart
I love how Wemby pauses before answering questions - I am 15 years his senior but I can definitely incorporate this in to my life, especially in regards to my ex wife….
I had an ex girlfriend that used to get mad that I would take 10 seconds before answering a non nothing question. Like she couldn’t wrap her head around collecting thoughts instead of just word vomit.
I respect that answer
Wemby’s already a disgruntled old man at 22yrs old
Keep not taking concussions seriously and he may be a very angry middle age man
Sometimes its better to let doctors be doctors wemby. It was a nasty fall. They are only looking out for you
Nuked his audio just in time.
Did they cut his mic?
From the outside looking in it did seem they were being to cautious even though wemby is their investment.
It’s not like NFL where you are constantly banging up against other players
Bro was out like a light and shouldn’t even be playing right now, but sure
he’s just super competitive and young
I like how Wemby’s take on the situation is that the league doctors messed up and is not questioning whether or not the team docs had a vested interest in clearing him early. lol.
He’s so well spoken and cool and great at basketball, why is he on the spurs it’s not fair I hate it so much lol
I’m glad there is a decent concussion protocol. it’s no joke, ex professional athletes who have been repeatedly concussed are now living with the long term effects. some ex athletes have taken their own lives, it’s so very tragic.
Dude, Wemby, no. You’re too young to understand, but concussions are very, very bad in the long run. If anything, they rushed you back too soon.
One day you’ll understand, son.
Wemby wants to be on the court all the time. I can guarantee you that he does not like missing games or playing sub-30 minutes during the regular season.
brain damgjeg.hjh
i know he was in concussion protocol but maybe he never had a concussion?
That’s what the monk training was for.
This interview is a great concussion test. He passed it with flying colors
Wemby mourinho will be in big trouble if he speaks
Guys, I think we should debate some more if he said happy or unhappy…
Was that really a low battery beep for a fire detector?
Do you want permanent brain damage?
Wemby’s maturity about injury protocols is making Giannis look like an actual child.
Sounds to me like spurs doctors told Him what he wanted to hear, which is the same as what spurs owners would want to hear
Doctors made the right call, a concussion isn’t something to take unnecessary risk on
He doesn’t get smacked in the head too often as he’s about a foot above everyone and everything on the court. This was a dumb accident.
i wonder what he could be implying
He probably means he didn’t like that he had to sit. That’s expected
Breaking: Wembanyama has been fined for 10000$
Never listen to the players about concussions
So if the doctors were great, why is he being all passive aggressive about it? Is he just whining? Sounds like he’s just whining.
I think extra day off + the rules on concussions that are in place made it so that if he passed all the tests he’d have technically been able to play in game 3
Speculation on my part, but him being annoyed like this tells me that that probably happened, and the league stepped in and kept him out
He should be happy they didn’t keep him out longer.
Tf they end it for?😭😭