Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 regular season with a blood clot in his right shoulder.
The 7-foot-3 Spurs center, who was the clear favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, is suffering from deep vein thrombosis, the team announced.
San Antonio does not expect the injury to last into next season, as the team believes it is an “isolated incident” and that he will fully recover by next season.
Victor Wembanyama is expected to make a full recovery. AP
It is unclear if he will be joined next season by his coach, Gregg Popovich, who had a stroke and has not returned to the Spurs bench in a bizarre season.
“You can’t replace Vic,” Spurs guard Chris Paul told reporters. “I can’t stand on a guy’s shoulders and block every shot that comes to the rim. Aside from his basketball ability, his charisma and what he brings into the locker room, I think, is what we’ll miss the most.”
Wembanyama played in 46 games for the Spurs this season and will not be eligible for awards, as players must appear in 65 games to be eligible for postseason honors.
Wembanyama, 21, was averaging 24.3 points and 11 rebounds per game in 33.2 minutes for the 23-29 Spurs.
Victor Wembanyama is out for the year. NBAE via Getty Images
San Antonio, which is the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference, will likely fall out of the race despite entering Thursday 3.5 games out of a playoff spot.
The Spurs have the 10th-best lottery odds in the NBA, although those could improve now without their best player.
The 2025 draft is loaded, expected to have Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey, and Dylan Harper in the top three as the Spurs could now be poised to add one of them to the fold if the lottery balls fall their way.
The Spurs now have the fate of the pingpong balls to decide who will be the next running-mate with Victor Wembanyama. NBAE via Getty Images
San Antonio has its own first-round pick as well as an unprotected Atlanta Hawks pick, which is expected to be a lottery pick as well.
The Spurs recently acquired De’Aaron Fox in a trade with the Kings, which was expected to vault them further up the standings, but this recent development tempers the enthusiasm for San Antonio.
Wembanyama was just recently playing surprisingly hard during All-Star Weekend for Young Stars and “Shaq’s OGs.”
He combined for 13 minutes in those games, scoring 17 points.
