There was a scary scene in the NBA on Wednesday night in the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Portland Trail Blazers. During the second quarter of the game, Thunder backup center Bismack Biyombo looked to collapse in front of the team’s bench.
With the game going into a timeout, Biyombo was caught on camera falling to the ground with his teammates quickly circling around him. A lengthy delay ensued, as a wheelchair was brought out for Biyombo to help him get to the locker room.
It was certainly an unsettling sight to see, as no one really knew what happened. Watching anyone, especially a professional athlete in tip-top shape, just collapse is a hard thing to see occur.
However, the Thunder have provided a positive update on the situation. Despite not returning to the game, the team said that it was not a serious medical situation that led to Biyombo collapsing on the sideline.
“He’s fine. He just fainted, basically,” coach Mark Daigneault said. “He was in the locker room at halftime laughing and joking.”
It is certainly a relief to hear that nothing serious happened with Biyombo and that he should be fine moving forward. Wednesday was his fifth game with the Thunder, as he signed with the team on February 10th as insurance in the front court.
Oklahoma City is the sixth franchise that Biyombo has suited up for in his career. He was originally the No. 7 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Bobcats and spent the first four seasons of his career with them. He eventually went back to the Hornets and spent another three seasons with the franchise.
Biyombo never quite lived up to expectations of a top-10 pick, as his offensive game never developed. But, he is a solid locker room presence and veteran to have around a young team. He can provide some rebounding and shot blocking, averaging 5.9 and 1.3 per game of each despite playing only 19.6 minutes per game in his career.
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