Victor Wembanyama Out for 2024-25 NBA Season with Blood Clot, San Antonio Spurs Say
Justin Lotito
Staff Writer
Victor Wembanyama’s historic sophomore season has been cut short due to blood clotting that has been found in his right shoulder, the San Antonio Spurs announced.
The Spurs medical staff discovered that the French superstar has a condition called thrombosis in his right shoulder. Johns Hopkins Medicine explains that this condition occurs when clots block one’s blood veins.
“The condition was discovered when Wembanyama returned to San Antonio following the All-Star Game in San Francisco,” the Spurs said in a statement. “Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 regular season. The team will provide updates as appropriate.”
According to Mayo Clinic, treatment for this condition includes blood thinning medication, which prevents an athlete like Wembanyama from participating in contact sports. The Spurs do not believe that this injury will hinder the rising star’s future.
“The medical experts and the people that are smarter than everybody in the room have said and confirm that he’ll be done this year and there is no concern for Victor’s long-term health, personally, or anything related to his basketball activities,” Spurs’ interim head coach Mitch Johnson affirmed. “There is no reason to believe he won’t be ready to go starting next season.”
Wembanyama was off to a historic 2024-25 campaign. The 7-foot-3 center was averaging 24 points, 11 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks per game. Before being diagnosed with thrombosis, Wembanyama was the odds-on favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year. He had -2000 odds to win the award for the first time in his career, three times higher than the next candidate, ESPN reports.
The Frenchman’s absence will not only leave a massive void on the court, but also in the locker room.
“It’s tough,” veteran teammate and point guard Chris Paul expressed. “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.”
Wembanyama’s health issue not only impacts the NBA, but it impacts the international scene.
The 21-year-old has already made an impact on France’s national team. According to Fiba Basketball, he averaged 15.8 points, and 9.7 rebounds per game in the 2024 Summer Olympics, which was the second highest out of active basketball players. The next notable performer was the Minnesota Timberwolves’s Rudy Gobert. Gobert only averaged 3.3 points a game. An extended absence from Wembanyama would have negative implications for France’s national team.
Wembanyama’s surprise diagnosis has not been the only health scare the San Antonio team has dealt with this season. Hall of Fame head coach Gregg Popovich has been sidelined since November due to a mild stroke he suffered. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, ESPN’s Shams Charania recently reported that the Spurs do not expect to have Popovich back for the remainder of the season.
While the Spurs have a plethora of medical issues on their plate for this season, their future looks bright. At the trade deadline, San Antonio acquired all-star guard De’Aaron Fox. The guard known for his speed has averaged 24.5 points and 6.3 assists on the year. Rookie guard Stephon Castle has also been a bright spot on the Spurs’ 2024-25 campaign. The 2024 fourth overall pick out of the University of Connecticut, currently holds the top spot on Kia’s Rookie of the Year Ladder, reports the NBA
As of February 24, the Spurs sit at 24-31, which places them at 12th place in the Western Conference.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.