Victor Wembanyama sent a shock through the NBA world on Tuesday night before quickly easing fears, escaping what initially looked like a frightening knee injury in the San Antonio Spurs‘ dramatic 136–134 win over the New York Knicks. According to Shams Charania, postgame testing revealed that Wembanyama suffered only a mild hyperextension in his left knee, with no major structural damage detected.
The moment itself was alarming. Early in the fourth quarter, Wembanyama went airborne to grab a rebound and collided mid-play with Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordan Clarkson, both battling for position. There was no malicious intent, just stars going at it in a close game. As Wembanyama came down, he landed on Towns’ foot, and his knee bent backward into an unnatural position.
On replay, it looked worse than many recent hyperextensions around the league. He immediately collapsed to the floor in visible pain and eventually hopped back to the locker room, triggering concern throughout the arena.
What made the moment sting even more was how dominant Wembanyama had been before the injury. In just 24 minutes, he poured in 31 points and grabbed 13 rebounds, shooting an absurd 10-of-12 from the field, 2-of-2 from three, and 9-of-10 from the free throw line. He was in complete control of the game on both ends. Even after his exit, the Spurs rallied and held on for the narrow win, a testament to the momentum he had helped build.
In the postgame interview, Wembanyama offered immediate reassurance. In a surprise appearance with reporters, he confirmed the diagnosis himself and hinted he could be back in the next game itself.
“Feeling good. Just sore. Very confident… I mean, I was about this close to coming back to the game, but they had to hold me back… It was a good thing, it was just a hyperextension, so it should be minimal, whatever the things is. We’re going to do everything tomorrow to still check that it’s okay.”
“I expect to be back next game. I’m not sure what they expect.”
However, not everyone is fully convinced this will be a short absence. Renowned sports injury analyst Dr. Brian Sutterer broke down the play on his YouTube channel and struck a more cautious tone. Comparing it to Nikola Jokic’s recent knee hyperextension, Sutterer noted that Wembanyama’s injury involved significantly more force.
“I’m going to be honest here. Compared to Jokic, this is not optimistic. It does look like there is a more significant amount of hyperextension in the knee compared to what we saw with Nikola. Basically, the foot is more forward in this direction. I’m a little bit more on the pessimistic side than I was compared with Nikola Jokic’s injury.”
“Another factor as to why, right, with Jokic, we talked about how he was stable on the ground. He wasn’t moving, and so there was less force from his kinetic energy, from potential energy being higher up in the air. With Wembanyama here, he’s high up in the air, he’s coming down. And so as he’s high up here, he’s got all this potential energy.”
“That energy has to be conserved as he comes down, so there’s going to be more potential for force to be generated up through his limbs, as opposed to just when you’re hit and the knee gets slightly bumped, but you’re not moving.”
“I would plan on best case scenario, a week or two with bone bruising. Worst case scenario, yes, potential for ligament tears.”
The timing matters. This would be the second superstar in the same week to suffer a hyperextension, following Jokic, who is now set to miss at least four weeks. Wembanyama has already missed 12 games this season. If this injury sidelines him for even two weeks, he would likely cross the threshold that jeopardizes eligibility for end-of-season awards under the 65-game rule.
That would be especially cruel in a season where he is averaging 24.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 2.9 blocks while shooting 52.5% from the field and 36.5% from three.
For now, optimism outweighs fear. Wembanyama avoided the worst-case outcome, and the early signs point toward soreness rather than something season-altering. Still, in a league already shaken by injuries to its biggest stars, every update will be watched closely. The Spurs and the NBA will proceed carefully, knowing just how rare and valuable this season from Victor Wembanyama truly is.
