San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama will miss the remainder of the season with a blood clot in his right shoulder, the team announced Thursday.
“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, a 21-year-old center, is already considered one of the premier big men in the league. He was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.6 blocks a game for San Antonio this season.
The Spurs are 23-29, 12th in the Western Conference.
“First and foremost, everybody understands that basketball is what we do and not who we are. Life and everything is so much more important,” Spurs guard Chris Paul said Thursday. “But for us, we know losing a big part of our team, it’s by committee. 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.”
Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 draft, entered the NBA as arguably the greatest basketball prospect since LeBron James in 2003.
The Frenchman won NBA Rookie of the Year honors last season after averaging 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks, 1.8 3-pointers and 1.2 steals a game. He was the first player with at least 1,500 points, 700 rebounds, 250 assists, 250 blocks and 100 made 3-pointers in a season.
Wembanyama also finished second in NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting last season behind fellow countryman Rudy Gobert.
Outside the NBA, Wembanyama is a major contributor to France’s national team. He averaged 15.8 points, 9.7 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game while leading the country to a silver medal in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Vein thrombosis is a blood clot in a deep vein that keeps blood from flowing normally, according to the Cleveland Clinic. NBA Hall of Famer Chris Bosh retired largely due to a history of blood clots.
Both of Bosh’s 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons ended early because of the medical issue and after multiple failed physicals, he stepped away from the game midseason in 2019.
