For the San Antonio Spurs, Victor Wembanyama’s arrival as the #1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft signaled a bright future. After turning in a singular rookie season, that future did not seem far off. Despite not turning 20 until January, he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and a league-high 3.6 blocked shots per game, led the league with a 10% Block Rate (the percentage of opposing shots blocked by a player while on the floor), posted a top-five Defensive Win Shares tally (4.4), and cruised to the Rookie of the Year award.
After spending his summer helping the French national team to Olympic silver on home soil as the tournament’s Rising Star award, Wemby was even better as an NBA sophomore. As of last weekend’s All-Star break, he’d started 46 of the Spurs’ 52 games this season, with averages of 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and another league-high in blocks per game (3.8) and Block Rate (10.2%), was again fifth in Defensive Win Shares tally (3.0), earned his first All-Star selection, and was this time cruising to the Defensive Player of the Year award.
In the history of the NBA, four players have managed at least five games with at least 30 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocked shots before their 24th birthdays. Shaq laps the field with 14. Giannis Antetokoumpo, Tim Duncan, and Wembanyama all have five — of course, Wemby doesn’t even turn 22 until January 2026. The Spurs — and the NBA — understandably figured the future might be, in fact, now.
Sadly, the future will have to wait.
On Thursday the Spurs announced that Wembanyama miss the rest of the season due to a deep vein thrombosis (blood clot) in his right shoulder. As reported by The Athletic’s Sam Amick, the shocking diagnosis is the culmination of a multi-week stretch during which Wembanyama exhibited reduced energy and shortness of breath. The issue was initially chalked up to allergies.
However, when the problem persisted through the All-Star break — where Wembanyama took part in the Skills Competition and played in two All-Star tournament games, but only for 13 combined minutes — and a two-day vacation afterward didn’t set things right, Wembanyama underwent a thorough examination, which revealed the blood clot.
What Is Deep Vein Thrombosis and Is It Serious?
Let’s answer the second part of the question first here — in a word, yes.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a type of venous thromboembolism (blood clotting) “in a vein located deep within your body.” Scary as that already sounds, these clots can become deadly if they break free, travel through the bloodstream, and cause potentially fatal blockages, or “embolisms.”
An analysis published in the Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis in 2017, Wembanyama’s incredible height (he’s 7’4”) is a risk factor for DVT. This was confirmed by cardiologist, vascular medicine specialist, and international anticoagulation expert Dr. Geoffrey Barnes of the University of Michigan Health (and reported by The Athletic’s Amick and Joe Vardon), who said, “We actually know that the taller you are, the more likely you are to have blood clots.”
Per the Cleveland Clinic, clots like Wembanyama’s can be caused by the compression of veins due to repetitive stress on the upper arms. Barnes, who’s not examined Wembanyama and is unfamiliar with the specifics of his case, confirms this. He says that surgery is an option if “there is something structurally impeding” the veins near his shoulder. Otherwise, the clot is likely a result of repeated muscle movement, with medication the most effective corrective measure. Barnes further notes that clotting like this is broadly known to occur in the upper arms of baseball pitchers, swimmers, weightlifters, and basketball players.
In short, this really could have been far worse. And while the particulars of Wembanyama’s case remain to be seen, per ESPN’s Tim McMahon, he is expected to return for the 2025-26 season.
GettyChris Bosh of the Miami Heat
Has This Happened to NBA Players Before?
Indeed it has. Wembanyama’s is at least the fifth such diagnosis in the past decade. The highest profile of these came in 2016, when Hall of Famer Chris Bosh, then of the Miami Heat, was forced to retire at age 32 due to clots in his left calf and lungs.
Less than three years later, in March 2019, current Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram, then of the Los Angeles Lakers, had surgery to remove a blood clot from his right shoulder. Ingram returned the following season as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans following the trade that sent Anthony Davis to the Lakers. He averaged then career-highs of 23.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 4.2 assists, made the All-Star team, and won the league’s Most Improved Player award. Though he’s missed significant time in the years since with a variety of lower body injuries, he’s not dealt with blood clots again.
Meanwhile, Christian Koloko lost the entirety of his 2023-24 season to blood clots. The Senegalese seven-footer and 2021-22 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year with Arizona was coming off a rookie season in which he averaged 3.1 points and 2.9 rebounds in 14 minutes per game with the Toronto Raptors, who’d selected him 33rd overall in the 2022 draft. He was waived by the Raptors and signed a two-way contract with the Lakers last offseason. He’s since returned to the court, averaging 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 29 games in 2024-25.
Finally, last season, on March 9, exactly five years after blood clots ended Ingram’s 2018-19 season, Detroit Pistons forward (and #5 overall pick in the 2024 draft) Ausar Thompson’s rookie season came to a premature end due to blood clots. Thompson didn’t return to the court until the Pistons’ 19th game this season, on November 25. He’s played solidly in 32 of 36 games since, averaging 9.3 points, 5 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.
GettyChris Paul and De’Aaron Fox
What’s Next for the Spurs?
Needless to say, the top priority in this situation is ensuring Wembanyama’s long-term health. Encouragingly, per ESPN’s Sham Charania, the Spurs believe Wembanyama’s blood clot is an “isolated condition.” And, again, thankfully the Spurs took no chances with the franchise big man’s health. That proactivity likely saved Wembanyama from greater risk and has the team “optimistic” about Wemby’s return.
On the court, the Spurs are currently 24-29, good for 12th in the West, three games behind the Golden State Warriors for the conference’s final play-in spot. Despite being without iconic coach Gregg Popovich, who suffered a stroke in early November, the Spurs played well to start the season, peaking on January 3 (the day before Wemby’s birthday) at 18-16.
Despite losing nine of 12 after that point, the Spurs took a big swing before the trade deadline to bolster their backcourt and supercharge a playoff push this season. In a blockbuster deal on February 2 that sent Bulls two-guard Zach LaVine and six draft picks (three first-rounders, three seconds) to the Sacramento Kings and role players and the Bulls’ own 2025 first-round pick back to Chicago, the Spurs acquired Kings All-Star point guard De’Aaron Fox.
Fox, whose current contract runs through the end of next season, remains a potentially excellent long-term co-star for Wembanyama. Assuming he signs an extension in San Antonio this summer— as is expected by experts, including ESPN’s Brian Windhorst — he should be a foundational piece of the next good Spurs team.
In the short term, however, playoff hopes are quickly fizzling and veteran mentor Chris Paul, 40 years old and in his 20th season but still averaging 8.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game — suddenly looks like a possible buyout candidate. If there are any silver linings to be found, Popovich’s expected return to the bench at some point this season is one. Another is that the Spurs’ slide down the standings (currently #10 in lottery odds, per Tankathon) may take some of the sting out of giving the Bulls back their increasingly valuable (currently #8) 2025 first-rounder.
And, of course, the prospect of Victor Wembanyama’s return to resume one of the most jaw-dropping opening chapters in recent NBA history.
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