Shams Charania delivers 'best news' amid Victor Wembanyama's blood clot
Yesterday at 11:10 PM
When news broke that Victor Wembanyama was going to miss the rest of the 2024-25 NBA season due to blood clots in his shoulder as a result of deep vein thrombosis, it left San Antonio Spurs fans wondering about the long-term future of their franchise player.
In a season filled with ups and downs, including Greg Popovich leaving the bench for the remainder of the season following a mild concussion to the mid-season trade for De’Aaron Fox, losing Wemby didn’t just squash the Spurs’ chances of a Cinderella playoff push, but also left the entire future of the franchise up in the air.
Fortunately, on Saturday, ESPN’s Shams Charania delivered some good news that should raise the spirits of reporters in San Antonio and beyond: Wembanyama is not expected to miss any time next season from the clot and should make a full recovery with the right treatment plan.
“It starts with how he’s doing right now. From what I’m told, he’s doing emotionally well. He and the Spurs right now are working through treatment options on how to move forward here with treatment options with his right shoulder. The best news in what’s been a setback of a week for the Spurs is they don’t expect any long-term issues with it. They believe that the clot in his right shoulder is isolated, and they believe that he will play next season,” Charania explained.
“Furthermore, sources told me that Wembanyama and coach Greg Popovich have been in very active communication in the wake of this diagnosis. They’ve been speaking frequently, and, to my understanding, Greg Popovich has been very hands-on with Victor Wembanyama in the wake of what’s happened this week.”
On paper, it’s never a good idea for any team to lose a star player for any length of time, especially to something like a blood clot, which doesn’t recover after a few weeks of rest or can even be completely addressed with surgery. With that being said, the Spurs were able to catch Wemby’s condition early on, shut him down immediately, and will now be able to give him nearly a year to recover properly without the concern of returning in time for a deep playoff push.
Would it have been cool to see what Wemby looked like with the Spurs in the postseason with Stephon Castle, Chris Paul, and Fox running the show? Yes, while Wemby is a certified force, he has yet to be proven in the postseason, which is where most NBA legends really cement their legacy. But hey, considering the Spurs clearly believe they are one more bite at the lottery apple away from really contending for the playoffs with Wembanyama as their top star, who knows, maybe this concerted step backward will lead to a massive leap forward into the future with a player like Cooper Flagg, Dylan Harper, or Ace Bailey locked in as their third star.
Reporting for ABC NBA Countdown — on Spurs' Victor Wembanyama and Gregg Popovich being in close contact since the team cornerstone's blood clot diagnosis, and where both stand in respective recoveries: pic.twitter.com/3XOgOrwBmk
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 23, 2025
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