San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama‘s 2025 season was cut short due to deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. For the first time since the injury, he addressed the media regarding his recovery.
He declined to go into details like if he’s ahead or behind schedule and whether or not he had surgery. He did reveal that he has returned to light weight lifting and controlled on-court work.
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“There’s many more things than surgery when you go to the hospital for a blood clot,” Wembanyama said. “We’re taking our time and I’m neither late or early [in recovery], but it’s a process and there are definitely steps for me to reach. At the time, I definitely didn’t know [the extent of the condition]. But looking back I did feel a certain way. I wasn’t in the best shape ever at the All-Star Game. By no means was it easy to learn and process.”
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Sources told ESPN that Wembanyama first started feeling pain in his shoulder shortly after the All-Star break, prompting a series of tests to reveal the underlying condition.
Despite being sidelined for nearly half of the season, Wembanyama will still finish the season as the league’s leader in total blocks with 176 rejections.
He missed too much time to qualify for the Defensive Player of the Year award, but if he can have a healthy career, he’s on his way to becoming one of the league’s all-time great defenders.
James Parker is an NBA writer for Ball Exclusives, follow him on X @TheJames_Parker
