San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will miss the remainder of the season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, reports ESPN.
According to Shams Charania, the Spur’s medical team believes the blood clot is isolated. But because of the severity of the diagnosis, and the team will have Wembanyama sit out the remainder of the season for his safety.
“The San Antonio Spurs today announced that Victor Wembanyama has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder,” the Spurs statement read. “The condition was discovered when Wembanyama returned to San Antonio following the All-Star Game in San Francisco. Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season. The team will provide updates as possible.”
Spurs point guard Chris Paul shared his feelings about Wembanyama being sidelined for the remainder of the season.
“It’s tough,” 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.”
“I think everybody understands that basketball is what we do and not who we are,” Paul said. “So life and everything is so much more important, but for us, we know losing a big part of our team like that is [made up for] by committee,” Paul continued. “And trust me, you can’t replace Vic. I can’t stand on a guy’s shoulders and block every shot that comes to the rim. Aside from his basketball ability, his charisma, and what he brings into the locker room I think is what we’ll miss the most.”
An emerging superstar of the league, Wembanyama was having a breakout season in his second year in the NBA.
Because he will not meet the minimum 65-game threshold for post-season awards, he will not be eligible for the Defensive Player of the Year Award which he was a leading candidate.
After winning Rookie of the Year last season, Wembanyama made the All-Star team for the first time. He was averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a league-leading 3.8 blocks in 46 games for the 23-29 Spurs.
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