San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama is not expected to play again this season after a blood clot condition was found in his right shoulder, a massive blow to the league and the second major health-related hit for the Spurs this season.
Wembanyama's condition — deep vein thrombosis — was diagnosed this week after he returned from the All-Star Game, the Spurs said Thursday. 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 are involved with contact sports are typically advised to avoid using such medication because of the heightened chance of bleeding.
Wembanyama's situation comes about 3 1/2 months after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke and was forced to take a leave from the sideline.
The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama was the league's rookie of the year last season and the frontrunner to be defensive player of the year this season. He has already taken 403 3-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; the only other player to finish a season averaging all that was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76. The Spurs open their post-All-Star schedule later Thursday in Austin, Texas, against the Phoenix Suns. Wembanyama had been listed as doubtful for that game because of illness.
“I'm in shock,” Miami forward Kevin Love said when told of the news shortly after the Spurs announced Wembanyama's condition. “Absolute shock.”
Such cases have affected NBA players before, including now-retired 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,” Los Angeles 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.”
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
