Victor Wembanyama Out for Rest of Spurs' Season with Form of Blood Clot in Shoulder

San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the team announced on February 20.

Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson told reporters that "There is no concern for Victor's health personally (long term) or his basketball activities." Johnson added that there's no reason to believe he won't be ready for the 2025-26 season.

The Spurs said the condition was discovered after Wembanyama participated in NBA All-Star Weekend.

Wembanyama "had been experiencing low energy in recent weeks," according to Sam Amick of The Athletic.

According to ESPN's Tim MacMahon, the Spurs "are optimistic" that Wembanyama "will make a full recovery by the beginning of next season."

Following a stellar rookie campaign, Wembanyama led France to the silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and entered his second season in the league with astronomical hype. Through 46 appearances before the All-Star break he's lived up to it, averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.8 blocks and 1.1 steals per game.

Keeping Wembanyama healthy long-term is the most important thing for a Spurs team that likely isn't going to realistically challenge for a championship in the daunting Western Conference in 2024-25.

That said, the Spurs are 23-29 and just 3.5 games back of the final Play-In Tournament berth. After adding De'Aaron Fox ahead of the trade deadline, they were a real threat to make a push for the postseason. Thursday's news is a huge blow to those aspirations and a major disappointment for NBA fans in general, shelving the league's most promising young player.