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San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama is set to the miss the rest of the NBA season after suffering from deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Deep vein thrombosis is a form of blood clot that can cause pain or swelling in a limb. It most usually occurs in the legs, but is not limited to any specific area.
Here is where things get dicey. Spurs doctors are confident that Wembanyama will make a full recovery before the 2025-26 season. But there are no guarantees. Should Wembanyama suffer a recurrence of condition, he could be placed on long-term blood thinners which could well end his NBA career.
Victor Wembanyama’s Season-Ending Injury Forced Chris Bosh Into Early Retirement
A similar condition ended the career of former Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors star Chris Bosh. Bosh, an 11-time All-Star and Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, was forced to retire at the age of 32 after suffering a blood clot in his calf which traveled to his lungs and caused a pulmonary embolism.
“It was very tough,” Bosh said of the injury. “It was the death of my career, to be honest.”
“Any time dealing with loss and death and stuff like that, you go through grief. I had to do that for a few years,” he admitted. “I got over it. I believe it made me stronger. It made me focus on being more of a father.”
Bosh briefly explored a comeback but was eventually unable to do so after teams failed to clear him medically.
According to the National Institute of Health, taller adult height is associated with an increased risk of blood clots in adults. Wembanyama, of course, stands at 7-foot-5 inches tall.
Now, the diagnosis is far from a death sentence. Charlotte Hornets star Brandon Ingram suffered from DVT in his arm while playing with the Lakers in 2019. Detroit Pistons rising star Ausar Thompson dealt with blood clots last year as a rookie and returned to full health this season.
There’s every chance that Wembanyama takes a round of blood thinners, is cleared to return to play, and the issue never comes back. But it’s also entirely possible this could be far more serious than anyone is leading on. For Wembanyama’s sake, let’s all hope it’s the former.