French basketball star Victor Wembanyama – aka – Wemby will miss the rest of the games for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA this season due to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his right shoulder.
The Spurs said his condition was discovered when he returned to the team's headquarters in Texas following the game featuring stars from different NBA teams in San Francisco on Monday.
DVT occurs when a blood clot forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, usually in the legs.
It becomes serious when the clots break loose, travel through the bloodstream and reach the lungs.
Treatment will likely entail blood-thinning medication to address the clot.
Wembanyama – nicknamed Wemby – was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.7 assists this season and was on course to win the defensive player of the year crown.
Wembanyama opts out of basketball World Cup duty with France
That award is offered to players who have featured in at least 65 games. Wembanyama's 2024/25 adventure ends after 46 matches.
Wembanyama, 21, rose to 2.21m tall in Le Chesnay, some 17 kilometres west of Paris, and turned out for the club Nanterre 92 in north-western Paris between 2014 and 2021 before moving to ASVEL Lyon-Villurbanne.
He went to the Spurs in 2023 as the top young recruit and maintained his trajectory to claim the accolade of rookie of the season – best player in his first NBA campaign.
Last month, he was the protagonist in the NBA's drive to boost its international appeal when the Spurs played the Indiana Pacers in Paris.
Shortly after jetting in from the US, Wembanyama limbered up with his teammates amid a phalanx of photographers and reporters at his old stomping ground at the Palais des sports Maurice-Thorez in Nanterre.
He was the main draw the following day at the inauguration of two basketball courts in his home town.
In the first game against the Pacers at the AccorArena in Bercy, south-eastern Paris, Wembanyama left the court with personal statistics of 30 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and five blocks in the 140-110 victory and was accordingly anointed the man of the match.
Fans savour NBA in Paris as Wembanyama's wizardry spurs his team to victory
Form
The modern NBA game requires tall men to be comfortable playing away from the basket, able to handle the ball and defend against opponents on the perimeter of the hoop. Defenders are expected to block shots at one end and shoot three-pointers at the other.
Wembanyama displayed that full repertoire before the home fans in Bercy. When Wembanyama left for the States, France national team head coach Vincent Collet said: "There are tall guys who shoot with their feet in the cement, but Victor is able to move and shoot, it's something quite unique."
His absence from the Spurs line-up will come as a blow. The team lies 12th in the 15-team Western Conference – well outside the berths for the end of season play-offs.
