The San Antonio Spurs announced that All-Star big man Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The condition was found after he returned from All-Star Weekend, the team said.
Wembanyama reportedly had low energy recently that the Spurs felt was concerning, and after participating in All-Star Weekend and taking a short vacation afterward didn’t improve it, tests were done where the deep vein thrombosis was found, per The Athletic’s Sam Amick. Despite the diagnosis and missing the rest of the season, the Spurs are “very confident” that Wembanyama will make a full recovery for the start of next season, per Amick.
Obviously the most important aspect of this news is Wembanyama’s health. Deep vein thrombosis, per the Mayo Clinic, occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the deep veins in the human body. It usually occurs in the legs, but it can occur in the upper body.
Victor Wembanyama injury: What is deep vein thrombosis? NBA star has blood clot, Spurs optimistic on outlook
Sam Quinn
Here’s the full statement from the Spurs:
“The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Victor Wembanyama has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The condition was discovered when Wembanyama returned to San Antonio following the All-Star Game in San Francisco. Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. The team will provide updates as possible.”
Wembanyama was the overwhelming favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year honors and was on track to make his first All-NBA Team this season before Thursday’s news. Wembanyama will not be eligible for end-of-season honors, however, as the NBA’s major awards carry a 65-game requirement.
Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game this season in 46 appearances. He’s just the seventh player in NBA history to average 24+ points & 3+ blocks per game in a season, and the first since Shaquille O’Neal in the 1999-2000 campaign.
“Basketball is what we do, not who we are,” Wembanyama’s Spurs teammate Chris Paul told reporters shortly after the news broke. The team is currently in Austin, where the Spurs will host the Suns at the University of Texas’ Moody Center on Thursday night.
Wembanyama is the latest notable NBA player to deal with blood-clot issues. Brandon Ingram missed the final 19 games of the 2018-19 season with the same condition in his right arm. Blood clots forced Chris Bosh to retire early. Bosh was diagnosed with pulmonary embolism in 2014 after a blood clot traveled to his lungs. He received surgery to remove it and underwent therapy to prevent further clots. However, in 2015 he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis, and despite undergoing further treatment, he made the decision to step away from the Miami Heat, which eventually led to his retirement.
Mike Finger of the San Antonio Express-News reported Thursday that Wembanyama’s issue is not thought to be as serious as Bosh’s.
From a basketball perspective, it’s a devastating blow for Wembanyama and the Spurs, who were putting together a much stronger season after winning just 22 games a season ago. They’ve surpassed that win total with 23, and were within range of getting one of the final play-in spots for the playoffs in the West. But with Wembanyama out for the rest of the season, those chances dwindle significantly, and the Spurs appear headed for the draft lottery.
