Blood clot stalls Victor Wembanyama's ascent, but Spurs are signaling optimism

New York Times

20-02-2025

When the awful news of Victor Wembanyama's season-ending blood clot was released, I had just finished the sixth and final episode of the Netflix documentary, 'Court of Gold,' which ends with a dramatic warning from the 21-year-old phenom.
Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs sensation who is well on his way to becoming the future face of the NBA, can be seen speaking to reporters not long after his French national team fell to Team USA in the gold medal game of the Paris Olympics. His emotions were still raw, with the welling tears that were shown moments before being wiped away, but his mind had already turned toward what was ahead. A bright future, one that would cast darkness on all of his foes, awaited him.
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'I'm learning, and you know it's — I'm worried for the opponents in a couple years,' Wembanyama said.
A reporter asked if this message was intended for his NBA opponents or the ones on the global stage.
'Everywhere,' he replied.
Then, with Wembanyama getting the final say on a series that featured the likes of LeBron James, Nikola Jokić, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and so many other NBA greats, the credits rolled.
That's how this story was supposed to go, with the symbolism of that final scene as unmistakable as Wembanyama's remarkable size and talents. The Wemby era had officially arrived, and everyone in his way needed to be afraid. Yet now, with the Spurs announcing that Wembanyama had been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, those fears have been flipped in a most unwelcome way.
The Spurs are signaling optimism, with a team source telling The Athletic that Wembanyama is expected to be fully healthy and ready at the start of training camp in October. Per the team source, Wembanyama had been experiencing low energy in recent weeks which initially caused concern.
He continued to feel that way during All-Star Weekend when he took part in that controversial skills competition with Spurs teammate Chris Paul on Saturday and logged a combined 13 minutes of action in his two All-Star games on Sunday. But when Wembanyama's two-day vacation after All-Star Weekend didn't do the trick, with his energy still low as the final stretch of the season neared, the decision to investigate further was made. And make no mistake, that's the only positive part here.
This could have been so much worse.
According to the renowned Cleveland Clinic, deep vein thrombosis is a 'blood clot in a vein located deep within your body.' You don't need a medical degree to be terrified by that sort of statement. As the website explains, blood clots sometimes break free, travel through one's bloodstream and cause life-threatening embolisms.
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As NBA fans are well aware, this is why the players who have dealt with this sort of issue in the past — among them Hall of Famer Chris Bosh, the Detroit Pistons' Ausar Thompson, the Toronto Raptors' Brandon Ingram and the Los Angeles Lakers' Christian Koloko — were handled with the utmost sensitivity and care. In Bosh's case, he was forced to retire at the age of 32 because of a blood clot in his lung. The other three, thankfully, have been able to resume their careers.
Yet even with the positive long-term prognosis for Wembanyama, there is an air of inevitable uncertainty that is as inescapable as his go-go-Gadget arms. Especially because of what he means to the league.
As the 'Court of Gold' documentary reminded the masses, the NBA's most beloved stars can't shine forever. Steph, KD and LeBron put on an incredible show in their gold-medal march, one that took their already-legendary careers to new heights because of the brilliant and beautiful way they joined forces, 'Avengers' style. But Father Time is beating down their doors now, and it was becoming increasingly clear that Wembanyama was the only young player who truly understood what it would require to take that torch.
Ja Morant looked like he would be that guy, but injuries have slowed the Memphis Grizzlies star's ascent, and his PR falloff in recent years was fast and steep. Ditto for the New Orleans Pelicans' Zion Williamson.
Luka Dončić is still a worthy candidate, especially given his recent relocation to Laker Land, but his aversion to media and years-long criticism about his work habits don't help. Oklahoma City's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, it should be noted, has become a serious contender in this space and will be even more of a household name if he wins his first MVP trophy this season. Anthony Edwards is still as compelling as they come among the young stars, but the Minnesota Timberwolves guard crystallized this whole conversation at All-Star Weekend when he was asked if he wanted to be the next face of the league.
'Nah, not really,' he said. 'That's what they've got Wemby for.'
Anthony Edwards doesn't consider himself the 'face of the NBA,' because 'that's what they've got Wemby for.' pic.twitter.com/9nPzTmaGyr
— SpursRΞPORTΞR (@SpursReporter) February 15, 2025
Even Wembanyama's peers had come to accept this reality.
Not only was Wembanyama playing at the sort of all-world level that is required to be in the running for this sort of esteemed spot, averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game and earning his first All-Star berth along the way. But Wembanyama, who has been in the international spotlight since first becoming a pro as a 15-year-old, had showcased the kind of charisma, competitiveness, professionalism and global appeal that could take the NBA where it so desperately wants to go in this next era.
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The winds have already been blowing in this direction for quite some time with the last six MVPs having been won by international stars (three to Jokić, two to Giannis Antetokounmpo and one to Joel Embiid). What's more, the league's recent efforts to add a new league in Europe are quite synergistic with this continued shift beyond the American borders.
Like it or not, Wembanyama's massive part in that push is on hold for now.
There will be no 2025 playoff run for the Spurs' new dynamic duo of Wemby and De'Aaron Fox, who pushed his way out of Sacramento earlier this month, in large part, because of the allure of playing alongside the ferocious Frenchman. Wembanyama won't be winning his first of many Defensive Player of the Year awards, as he will now fall well short of the league's 65-game requirement for such honors. The short-term is shot.
But so long as the early medical projections hold up, the positive part here is that Wembanyama should be back doing what he loves, and what so many love watching him do, before long. The Spurs, who entered Thursday 23-29 and 10th in the Western Conference, should be even stronger by the time he returns. They not only have their own first-round draft pick, which is currently at the back end of the lottery, but another first-rounder from Atlanta as well (the Hawks, at 26-29, are eighth in the East).
Here's to hoping his valiant return, and the health that comes with it, are someday featured in the Wemby documentary that should still be decades away.
(Photo of Victor Wembanyama: Winslow Townson / Getty Images)