In shocking news, the San Antonio Spurs announced today that star center Victor Wembanyama would miss the remainder of the season with a blood clot. The deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his right shoulder was discovered this week after he returned from the All-Star Game complaining of low energy. This condition is usually found in the legs but can affect other parts of the body.
DVT is almost always treated with blood-thinning medication, but this prevents athletes from participating in contact sports due to the increased chance of bleeding. Athletes are more susceptible to this condition because of the stress placed on their bodies.
Spurs and Wembanyama’s Season
Wembanyama’s clots come three and half months after coach Gregg Popovich was sidelined with a stroke. He has yet to return to the bench as he recovers. Since starting the season 17-16, the Spurs have struggled, going 6-13 and sliding from ninth to 12th in the Western Conference standings. Wembanyama, however, was having a fabulous season. Last year’s Rookie of the Year was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.7 assists per game. Only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76 has put up similar numbers before the break.
Wembanyama was a first-time All-Star this season and was on his way to winning his first Defensive Player of the Year award and being named to his first All-NBA Team. However, he will be ineligible for those end-of-season awards because a player must have played 65 games or more to qualify.
Response from the Sports World
Various athletes spoke about Wembanyama’s condition. Serena Williams was diagnosed with the problem known as a pulmonary embolism, a clot on the lung, in 2011, and was the #1 women’s tennis player in the world again when she returned.
“Scariest thing I ever experienced,” Williams said months after returning.
“It’s tough,” Spurs point guard Chris Paul said. “Tough more than anything, I think for all of us, knowing how much he means to our team, but more so knowing how much he means to the game and how much he loves to play.”
Chris Bosh and Recovery
Chris Bosh missed the last part of the 2014-15 season with the Miami Heat after he developed a blood clot in his lung. He returned for the first half of the following season but was diagnosed with a clot in his calf, which forced him out of the lineup for the remainder of the 2015-16 schedule. The injury ended up being career-ending for Bosh.
Victor Wembanyama is expected to make a full recovery and be ready for the 2025-26 season.
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