Thunder: Bismack Biyombo’s health gets critical update after scary on-court collapse

On Wednesday night, a scary incident occurred on the Oklahoma City Thunder bench when Bismack Biyombo suddenly collapsed while greeting his teammates and giving them high-fives during a pause in the action during their clash against the Portland Trail Blazers. The good thing is that Biyombo was able to get back to his feet and walk to the tunnel under his own power, although the cause for Biyombo’s sudden collapse remains a cause for concern for the Thunder brass.

Thankfully, good news surrounding Biyombo continue to come out. According to Brett Siegel, NBA reporter for ClutchPoints, the Thunder have cleared Biyombo of any serious health issue, although given the worrying nature of a sudden collapse, the team will continue to monitor his condition through the night and through tomorrow.

Bismack Biyombo’s collapse alarmed the entire Thunder bench, with OKC players looking over in the immediate aftermath to ensure that the veteran big man was alright. But immediately after fainting, Biyombo was reportedly “alert”, as per Siegel, which should have calmed down what were very justified worries over the 31-year old center’s condition.

The scariest part about Biyombo’s fainting was the fall; the Thunder players didn’t seem to realize what was happening in real time, so Biyombo fell straight onto the ground instead of being caught by any of his teammates. Mike Muscala looked like a very confused man when Biyombo was falling, but was immediately concerned when he realized what just happened.

Now, it looks like Bismack Biyombo did not hit his head hard on the hardwood or hit his head hard on the knee of Gordon Hayward, who appears to have borne the brunt of the collision.

It’s not quite clear yet why Biyombo fell down the way he did. Biyombo will have to undergo further testing to fully ascertain the reason for his sudden collapse. But this report from the Thunder means that there’s not much reason to be worried about the veteran center moving forward.

Bismack Biyombo was signed by the Thunder on February 10, 2024 to provide more frontcourt depth. Biyombo is a resolute paint defender and an industrious rebounder, but most of all, he has become a beloved figure in the OKC locker room.