[The Athletic] When Wembanyama was not given clearance by the director of the league’s concussion program, in compliance with the NBA concussion policy, he requested an examination by an independent neurologist… but the NBA determined Wembanyama was not ready to return for Game 3.
Article: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7233626/2026/04/26/victor-wembanyama-blazers-game-4-nba-playoffs/
From the article:
But ahead of Game 3, Wembanyama felt ready to play and pushed to be cleared once he passed the required baseline assessments and received the go-ahead from the Spurs’ medical staff.
When Wembanyama was not given clearance by the director of the league’s concussion program, in compliance with Section 5(b)(iv) of the NBA concussion policy, he requested an examination by an independent neurologist. Wembanyama informed the independent neurologist that he was ready to play and completed an interview regarding his symptoms, but the NBA determined Wembanyama was not ready to return for Game 3, a source briefed on the matter told The Athletic.
In a news conference following Sunday’s Game 4 win, Wembanyama claimed that he was not given a reason for why he was not cleared to play in Game 3.
“I’m not saying that not playing was a good or bad decision,” Wembanyama said. “It was a decision. I’m not saying it was good or bad. But the way the situation was handled, very disappointing.”