Crowd at Frost Bank Center went dead silent Thursday night after Victor Wembanyama crumpled to the hardwood. The scary moment occurred in the early minutes of the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks when Giannis Antetokounmpo drove hard into Wemby and the San Antonio Spurs’ forward twisted his knee.
The 7-foot-4 was lying on the floor for a few minutes in obvious pain before limping straight to the tunnel. Just to recap, he has already suffered a calf strain and knee hyperextension this season. Given his recent injury struggles, nobody wanted to see another extended absence.
Victor Wembanyama Headed to the Locker Room After Bumping Knees with Giannis Antetokounmpo
Spurs escaped with a 119-101 victory this Thursday against the Bucks, but their main forward, Wembanyama, who entered the game in a new bald look, left the court with 9:18 left in the first quarter. He was trying to draw a charge against Antetokounmpo, and both of them collided.
Replay footage showed their right knees made direct contact, but Wemby went down hard while the Greek Freak somehow escaped from severe pain.
The injury scare looked very bad as he was lying on the hardwood, grabbing his knee hard in severe pain. Athletic trainer Will Sevening and medical staff rushed him off the court.
Wemby headed to the locker room after bumping knees with Giannis. pic.twitter.com/QbA9cSnwIE
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) January 16, 2026
The timing seemed too perfect to be catastrophic. He previously hyperextended his left knee against the New York Knicks on December 31. The 22-year-old also missed 12 games earlier this season with a calf strain, forcing the franchise to have him on a minutes restriction to manage his workload.
Shortly after the video of his collision with Giannis went viral, Spurs fans are sharing their thoughts, saying they can’t afford to lose their franchise player for any stretch.
Fans React with Prayers and Concern for Victor Wembanyama
Nobody wants to see Wembanyama’s incredible talent derailed by injuries, so prayers began pouring in from every corner of social media.
“Hopefully nothing serious, both teams need these stars staying fully healthy,” one fan wrote.
Another added, “I really hope he’s okay. But I will say Wemby is starting to become heavily injury prone.”
The third claimed, “OMG NO! Wish him a fast recovery 🥹🙏.”
A fourth fan added, “Hopefully it’s not that bad.”
The fifth claimed, “Praying for his first recovery.”
Fans are worried because Wembanyama’s chicken legs don’t seem able to handle hard contact. Antetokounmpo also took a hit to his right knee, but he looked fine, while Wemby was almost in a position to be carried off on a stretcher. Physical players continue to be a big challenge for the young giant.
