All-Star center Victor Wembanyama has been diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder and is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season, the Spurs announced in a press release (Twitter link).
According to Shams Charania of ESPN (Twitter link), a deep vein thrombosis is a form of blood clot. San Antonio believes Wembanyama’s health scare is an “isolated condition,” Charania adds.
The Spurs are optimistic that Wembanyama will be fully recovered by the start of the 2025/26 campaign, a team source tells Tim MacMahon of ESPN (Twitter link).
Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News confirms that reporting, writing (via Bluesky) that the Spurs are “not worried” about Wembanyama’s long-term health. Wembanyama’s condition is not considered as serious as the blood clot issue that effectively ended Chris Bosh‘s career, according to Finger.
In their statement, the Spurs said that the issue was discovered after Wembanyama returned to San Antonio following Sunday’s All-Star game in San Francisco. NBA insider Chris Haynes hears (via Twitter) that the team was informed of Wembanyama’s condition today.
On Wednesday, the Spurs had listed Wembanyama as doubtful to suit up for Thursday’s contest vs. Phoenix due to an illness (ESPN.com story via MacMahon). The game will take place at the Moody Center in Austin, and Wembanyama was not present for shootaround this morning, per Finger (Bluesky link).
As Jeff Stotts of InStreetClothes.com tweets, a deep vein thrombosis “is a clot that develops in one of the major veins of the body, usually in the lower extremity.” Brandon Ingram went through a similar issue while with the Lakers back in ’18/19, causing him to miss the final 19 games of that season.
A source tells Sam Amick of The Athletic that Wembanyama has had low energy of late (Twitter link). When he was still experiencing low energy at All-Star weekend and his two-day vacation after the break, he underwent testing which revealed a DVT. Amick and Tom Orsborn of The Express-News are the latest reporters to confirm the Spurs are optimistic about Wembanyama’s long-term prognosis (Twitter link).
As ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (via Twitter), Wembanyama will no longer be eligible for major postseason awards due to the 65-game rule. The league’s reigning Rookie of the Year was the odds-on favorite to win his first Defensive Player of the Year award after finishing as the runner-up in ’23/24.
Obviously, this is terrible news for anyone who follows the sport, but particularly for Wembanyama, one of the NBA’s premier young players. Still, it’s at least encouraging that the Spurs seem confident that the issue was caught early and that 2023’s No. 1 overall pick will be ready to play again to open ’25/26.
In 46 games during his second season, Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.1 steals and a league-high 3.8 blocks in 33.2 minutes per contest. His shooting slash line was .476/.353/.836, with nearly half of the Frenchman’s field goal attempts coming from behind the three-point line.
Wembanyama’s absence will certainly decrease San Antonio’s odds of making a postseason push, but that’s obviously a secondary concern compared to his health. The Spurs have been a funk of late, going just 5-13 over their past 18 games. They’re currently 23-29, 3.5 games behind Golden State for the final play-in spot in the West.
Don’t know what that is. Get better
Definition:
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where a blood clot forms in a deep vein, typically in the lower legs.
We need him. Hoping he gets thru it.
Well that sucks, He said in an understatement!
You hope he gets through because “we need him.” Why not just hope he gets through because Wemby is a good dude with family and friends who love him and are scared right now.
He’s a human being, not some comic book character that’s “ours.” What “we need.” Selfish imp.
Gee thanks for the morality chk. I think you should do it to everyone. To make sure we all care …..
We need him?
We White Man? Old Tonto joke. Oh wait that’s insensitive right? Oh well what isn’t anymore. It’s funny how nobody picked up that it was said by Knickerbocker Al. We? LMAO
White man? Are you saying Wemby is a hero to all the white people or something? I honestly can’t understand wtf it is that you’re trying to say.
Yes, we. We, the fans of basketball, the NBA, the NBA itself. Was clear that was Al wrote carried a positive sentiment. Y’all are some really ignorant mo…rons.
It can be fatal if you fly with it. It isn’t long term though, its like an accident-type issue.
Oh no. Blood clotting can be recurring. Hopefully they can remove the vein.
Deep vein thrombosis isn’t recurring though. It happens due to being immobile for long periods of time, like if you fly too much. Stop sleeping on planes and get up and stretch your legs more = cured.
Dr. Davey, MD has spoken.
rct has reply guy’d, once again…
Do not question Dr. Davey and his vast knowledge of medicine and ball.
Dr Davey > everyone else
“Baby aspirin is a helluva drug”
Yeah, Wemby sure does a LOT of sitting still and never exercises…
Yeah, he literally just took a flight from Europe to America and likely slept in a position where his shoulder did not move. Good job of understanding, idiot.
You get that from Twitter too Davey?
It can require management my aunt had it when she was young and is still having to do stuff for it in her 80s like compression socks. I have never heard of it in a shoulder though I thought it only really occurred in the lower legs.
Big men always have the most injuries
Damn! Now I’m down to only the nuggets as a team I enjoy watching.
Pistons are a fun watch these days. Their players aren’t all doused in “load management”.
Cade Cunningham has 33 games over 35+ mins so far this season. Pistons are very good because they let their best players play most of the game.
Cut to Steve Kerr crying face emoji “nooooo you have to play 2way guys with zero defense instead of more Kuminga and Moody!!! NO ONE IS ALLOWED OVER 35 MINS!!!!”
… what have I done?
I hope to god wemby doesn’t have a career like Yao Ming where it’s all injuries
This wasn’t the injury I was expecting yet this ends the spurs deep playoff run hopes
De’aaron fox and cp3 can still lead them to the first round especially if people like vassell and Collins step up and Keldon Johnson starts again
uhh collins left in the fox trade, but i think you meant castle
Auto correct I’m on phone
….. not really how auto correct works lmao
Discovered how?
It usually happens after or during flying on a plane. If you keep flying with it, it can be fatal. It isn’t a “long term” thing though.
Makes you wonder…
I wonder if Spurs will tank or just tell Fox “you are #1 now” and try and make a late run.
Spurs get a top ten. Watch out ….. young and deep
Even before the Wemby OFS news, I never considered Spurs a serious threat for the top 10, Davey J and KnickerbockerAl. And it paaains me to no end seeing teams like the Bulls, Sixers, Nets, and Raptors all still alive in the playoff hunt. Let’s petition the league to drop the PIT asap, you guys. Seriously, is there ANY interest – outside of the respective markets involved – in the East’s 7v8, 9v10, loser of 7v8 v winner of 9v10 this season?!? It’s the PIT(sssssss)!! Nix it soon!
Its only best of three. Give it more time. Will work better when there are more teams.
I’m not saying teams in the play in are real threats, but hypothetically, wouldn’t the Cavs or C’s rather a team like the 76ers miss the playoffs altogether? The 76ers have been awful, but they’re more likely to cause problems than some of those other teams. Also, what if the Magic start to figure out things again and get hot? The West has the Warriors w. Butler and the Suns at least have guys who can score. Again, all those teams would be underdogs, but it adds another level of intrigue.
They have ATL’s pick too. Just watch them ping pongs balls fall favorably for them
There goes their playoff and play in hopes
Oh NO terrible news to start 2nd half
Chris Paul’s bad juju strikes again.
This is beautiful. Lmao
Rockets fan here, terrible blow to NBA hoops. Always liked the Spurs, hope he comes back 100% next year, the league is better with him in it
Heartbreaking! Could be a career ender… a guy that long, there have to be vascular challenges.. Hopes and prayers!
Brutal for spurs
Brutal for wemby
Brutal for nba
Brutal for fans
so you’re saying it’s brutal?
Gotta imagine stuff like this is more common when you’re so tall like that. I’m sure he knows about this sort of thing as well as anyone does.
It is usually brought on by long flights where someone is sitting in a poor cramped position for like 20 hrs.
Gonna fight someone at work today. Hopefully he’s fine back next year and spurs get one more gem in draft.
To be fair, the Spurs don’t have the supporting cast—yet. They were never a threat this season. Next season, however…good things on the way!
Surprised they expect him to be out the rest of the season. Typically they’ll treat it with blood thinners, sometimes in conjunction with a mesh “filter” installed to catch it (friend of mine was put on thinners for a Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, had a clot break free, traveled to his heart and killed him — no filter), or go in through a vein with a “grabber” and nab it, not all that much different than when they do the balloon action to open up clogged arteries.
They probably want to make sure it isn’t recurring before they allow him to play again. It goes beyond the treatment.
It being an isolated condition, and the team not being worried about his long term health, both sound good. But then why declare him out for the year, with almost 2 months left? Then again, it’s the NBA and the SAS. Still, though, at his age, he needs to play if he’s healthy.
Because its a 2-3 month recovery time, which would rule him out the remainder of the year.
Obviously no way to know for sure, but it does smell slightly of embracing some form of mild tanking. I mean it’s a serious heath issue sure, but maybe that’s why they’re going this route already.
Another strong draft and the Spurs might be right there ready to contend..
Either way, I just hope he comes back strong and can have a long healthy career.
I guess this is better than a knee or foot injury, assuming it’s a one-off thing as the Spurs currently believe? Unfortunate, but not a reason to panic (yet).
Get well soon, Wemby. Hopefully this is ultimately a blip on an otherwise long and stellar career.
ouch. good luck. it’s so risky drafting giants
Kid has a birght future… Spurs know what they’re doing…
If the blood clot gets dislodged it can go to your lungs and that can be fatal. He shld be taking blood thinner. He’s gonna come back once it all clears up.
Prayers up for Wemby…
Major cover up was the best player this year.
I hope you’re having fun Foxy!