San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the rest of the 2024-2025 regular season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder, the team announced Thursday. The All-Star center has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in the shoulder, the team said in a statement.
Wembanyama’s condition was discovered when he return to San Antonio after participating in the All-Star Game in San Francisco this past weekend.
The team did not provide a specific timeline, saying only that Wembanyama is “expected to miss” the rest of the regular season. Deep vein thrombosis typically occurs in the legs, but can affect other parts of the body. Sources told ESPN that the Spurs think Wembanyama’s condition is isolated and expect him to make a full recovery before next season.
Last weekend marked Wembanyama’s first All-Star appearance since arriving in the league last season. The 21-year-old sensation had a dominant first season, picking up Rookie of the Year and leading the league in blocks.
This season, Wembanyama has averaged 24.3 points and 11 rebounds per game, while also contributing 3.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game on the defensive end. He leads the NBA in blocks with 176.
The Spurs currently sit in 12th place in the Western Conference with a 23-29 record, 3 1/2 games back of the Golden State Warriors and a berth in the play-in game. In addition to their own first-round pick, the Spurs also hold the Atlanta Hawks’ unprotected first-rounder in the 2025 NBA Draft.
A number of NBA players have been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in recent years, most notably Chris Bosh, who missed the remainder of the 2014-15 season with the Miami Heat after developing a blood clot in his lung. Bosh’s announcement came 10 years and one day prior to the Spurs shutting down Wembanyama. He returned for the first half of the following season, but was diagnosed with another blood clot in his calf forcing him to miss the remainder of the 2015-16 schedule. The injury essentially ended his career.
More recently, Toronto Raptors forward Brandon Ingram missed the remainder of the 2018-19 season after he developed deep vein thrombosis in his right arm while with the Los Angeles Lakers. Second-year Detroit Pistons forward Ausur Thompson also was sidelined for nearly eight months, beginning in early March of his rookie season after he was diagnosed with a blood clot.
According to medical studies, athletes can be more susceptible to DVT due to the stress they put on their bodies.
