Oklahoma City Thunder center Bismack Biyombo had a very scary medical situation Wednesday as his team faced the Portland Trail Blazers. That moment came in the first half, as his teammates were leaving the floor for a stoppage. Biyombo, who only recently signed with the team as extra front-court depth, was on the sideline high-fiving teammates.
Suddenly, the 14-year NBA veteran unexpectedly collapsed to the floor. There was no obvious reason for the fall, he simply collapsed onto his back. Teammates quickly gathered around him, and he was eventually able to leave the court under his own power.
Fortunately, Biyombo was cleared of any serious medical conditions by the Blazers physicians that were on site, according to Thunder sideline reporter Nick Gallo. However, for the sake of caution, he was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game as the Thunder attempt to figure out what exactly happened to their veteran big man.
Caution is always the correct approach when it comes to unexpected medical situations like this one. Though they are rare, the NBA has experienced the worst possible outcomes when it comes to sudden falls. Most notably, former Celtics wing Reggie Lewis died on the court during an offseason practice in 1993 due to a heart defect.
For now the reporting suggests that Biyombo, 31, has not suffered a severe medical situation, but a sudden collapse of any sort is unusual and obviously scary. Until Biyombo and the Thunder know what actually happened here, it's better to err on the side of caution.