2023 Rookie of the Year Out for the Season
San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wenbanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the season with a blood clot in his right shoulder. With an illness, Wenbanyama was listed as doubtful for tonight’s game against the Suns. Wenbanyama expressed discomfort in his shoulder after returning from the NBA’s All-Star Weekend. The Spurs medical staff were doing tests when they discovered the blood clot on his shoulder. The blood clot is diagnosed as a deep vein thrombosis, which usually develops in the leg, but the clot has moved up to Wenbanyama’s shoulder. This is a huge loss for a Spurs team that is battling for a play-in spot in the Western Conference.
The Spurs believe this to be an isolated incident and are going over treatment options immediately for Wenbanyama. The 21-year-old superstar was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, and three blocks through 46 games this season. He was looking to be the seventh player in NBA history to average 20 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks a game in a season. After acquiring De’Aaron Fox in a trade from the Sacramento Kings, the Spurs believe that they put themselves in a great position for success going forward. Now their attention will focus on the health of their superstar and getting him ready for the 2025-26 season.
This is not uncommon for NBA players to have blood clots. Last year, Ausar Thompson had blood clots and had to miss the majority of his rookie season. However, blood clots were the reason that Chris Bosh had to retire in 2016. Recovery time takes about six months and there can be no physical activity of any kind due to the threat of the blood clot moving towards the heart which will cause internal bleeding. For the former Defensive Player of the Year candidate, the road to recovery will be a long one; however, the Spurs are grateful that they caught this early.
San Antonio is already without head coach Gregg Popovich, who has been recovering from a stroke he suffered in November. Popovich is recovering away from the team. Now with their coach and star player out for the year, the Spurs will look to rely on Fox and the other young pieces on the roster to salvage whatever they can for the rest of the season. They are currently five games out of the last play-in spot in the West, but it is hard to envision the Spurs making a run without Wemby.
