The injury problem continues to plague NBA superstars.
San Antonio Spurs forward Victor Vembanyama was the latest to be stung, leaving Wednesday's game against the New York Knicks after injuring his knee early in the fourth quarter.
He did not return to the court, but was seen on the bench wearing slippers in the final minutes of the match, which ended in a 134–132 victory for the Spurs.
The injury occurred when Wembanyama took a routine bounce but landed awkwardly, possibly hyperextending his left knee.
Wembanyama remained on the court as New York went on offense before Spurs forward Kelly Olynyk intentionally fouled so the Spurs could stop the star big man. Spurs defensemen Stephon Castle and De'Aaron Fox helped Wembanyama to his feet before he hobbled straight into the locker room without assistance.
The timing is especially bad considering the French phenom scored 31 points on 10-of-12 shooting, 13 rebounds and blocks in just under 24 minutes before leaving on Wednesday.
Coaches, doctors and San Antonio general manager Brian Wright followed Wembanyama into the locker room.
Vembanyama entered the game averaging 24.0 points, 11.7 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.0 blocks in 20 games this season. The 21-year-old previously missed 12 games in a row due to a calf injury.
He returned to the Spurs squad on December 13 and initially played six games off the bench before rejoining the first team on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Wembanyama's apparent knee injury comes just days after Nikola Jokic hyperextended his knee and was sidelined by the Denver Nuggets for at least four weeks.
— with files from The Associated Press
