Spurs star Victor Wembanyama expected to miss rest of season after blood clot diagnosis
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San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder, the Spurs announced Thursday.
It is a massive blow to the Spurs, who are contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. And it is the second major hit to the Spurs this season after coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke in November and has been unable to coach since.
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, which typically precludes a player from participating in a contact sport such as basketball.
Athletes who play contact sports are typically advised to avoid using such medication because of the heightened chance of bleeding.
Gregg Popovich indicates that he is planning to resume his duties as coach of the San Antonio Spurs once he completes his recovery from a stroke.
The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama was the league’s rookie of the year last season and the front-runner to be defensive player of the year this season. He has already taken 403 three-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 per game; the only other player to finish a season averaging those kinds of numbers was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76.
“I’m in shock,” Miami forward Kevin Love said when told of the Spurs’ announcement. “Absolute shock.”
Such cases have affected NBA players before, including Hall of Famer Chris Bosh, whose career was cut short after he was diagnosed with blood clots.
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.
Wembanyama was an All-Star for the first time this season and is widely considered the brightest young star in the game.
“I’ve seen one quote that he says that nobody better call him past 9 o’clock at night because he’s either reading or he’s asleep. I think that’s super cool. I think that’s super dope,” Lakers star LeBron James said this past weekend. “That lets you know where his mind frame is at, where he is at intellectually, and I think he’s been great, obviously, for the franchise with the Spurs. But he’s going to be great for our league for so many years to come.”
Reynolds writes for the Associated Press.
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