NBA star Victor Wembanyama’s season is likely over after he was diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder, a condition that will sideline one of the league’s brightest stars and is the second massive health-related hit for the San Antonio Spurs in a matter of months.
Wembanyama is beginning treatment immediately and the Spurs are working under the expectation that the 221cm centre from France will fully recover, said a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because those details were not released publicly.
It may even be possible for Wembanyama — the NBA’s leading shot-blocker this season and a first-time All-Star — to play mid-year for France in the European championships if he chooses, the person said.
“You can’t replace Vic,” Spurs guard Chris Paul said.
“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’s condition — deep vein thrombosis — was diagnosed this week after he returned from the All-Star Game, the Spurs said.
It is almost always treated with blood-thinning medication, and players in contact sports such as basketball have long been advised to avoid playing while using such medication because of the heightened chance of bleeding.
Victor Wembanyama has been one of the best players in the NBA this season in just his second year in the competition. (Getty Images: G Fiume)
Wembanyama’s diagnosis comes about three and a half months after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke and was forced to take a leave from the sideline, with assistant coach Mitch Johnson serving as acting coach ever since.
The Spurs have said Popovich’s condition is improving, but there is no timetable for his return to the bench.
“Man, it’s been extremely tough, to say the least,” Paul said.
“This organisation, how they put everything into perspective. Obviously, the Pop situation, knowing what he means to the league and Vic, him playing his first All-Star Game … for us, we know we’ve got a job to do but just like anybody we worry about our people.”
Wembanyama was the league’s rookie of the year last season and the frontrunner to be defensive player of the year this season. He has already taken 403 3-pointers and blocked 176 shots this season — no player in NBA history has ever finished a season with those numbers, and Wembanyama did it this year by the All-Star break.
He is averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.7 assists; the only other player to finish a season averaging all that was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76.
Wembanyama’s mix of height and athleticism makes him a difficult player to overcome. (Getty Images: Ezra Shaw)
Miami Heat forward Kevin Love, who learned of Wembanyama’s situation as he walked off the practice floor Thursday, said he was in “absolute shock.”
“First of all, you pray for him. You hope for the best, personally and professionally,” Love said.
“He means so much to the league. He’s an incredible competitor and he has a runway to be the face of the league for the next 20 years. I can’t imagine this league without him in the short term or in the long term. He’s that important.”
Such cases have affected NBA players before, including now-retired Hall of Famer Chris Bosh — whose career was cut short after he was diagnosed with blood clots while playing with Miami.
Brandon Ingram, now with the Toronto Raptors, had his 2018-19 season end early because of deep vein thrombosis when he was with the Los Angeles Lakers, and Detroit’s Ausar Thompson had a clot issue that saw him miss the end of the 2023-24 season.
The question for the Spurs’ medical team to answer now surrounds why this happened to Wembanyama.
“Any time we have upper extremity or arm blood clots, we always need to ask ourselves why they happened,” said Dr Geoffrey Barnes, an associate professor of cardiology and vascular medicine at the University of Michigan.
“And so, looking for the cause is going to be a really important piece of this. … it’s really important to understand why this happened, because then that’ll dictate what the treatments are and what the long term consequences may be.”
Some athletes have come back, sometimes better than ever, after dealing with blood clots.
Serena Williams was diagnosed with the problem known as a pulmonary embolism — a clot on the lung — in 2011, and was the dominant women’s tennis player in the world again when she returned.
“Scariest thing I ever experienced,” Williams said months after returning.
What is deep vein thrombosis?
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, usually in the legs.
It can cause leg pain or swelling. Sometimes there are no noticeable symptoms.
It can become a serious issue because blood clots in the veins can break loose before travelling through the bloodstream, then getting stuck in the lungs and blocking blood flow (pulmonary embolism). When DVT and pulmonary embolism occur together, it’s called venous thromboembolism (VTE).
Blood thinners are used to fix blood clots, with means athletes are more susceptible to bruising and bleeding.
AP
