A little over 12 hours ago, Shams Charania reported that Victor Wembanyama will miss the rest of his sophomore season as the San Antonio Spurs have decided to shut down his 2024-25 campaign. Kevin Durant, who was slated to face the Alien tonight, expressed his disappointment about the update before taking on the Wemby-less Spurs in Texas.
Advertisement
After returning from All-Star break, San Antonio’s medical staff discovered that their franchise superstar is suffering from deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. It’s a form of blood clot that can occur in any part of the body and isn’t entirely uncommon in the NBA.
Both Brandon Ingram and Ausar Thompson have suffered from DVT, which forced them to miss around 6 months of action. However, both wings were able to make a full recovery, with Ingram even winning the Most Improved Player award after his return.
Perhaps Wemby can achieve a similar turnaround next season. But for Durant, that means a long wait until his next matchup with the 7’4” Frenchman. He expressed his condolences to the youngster during an interview with TNT’s Jared Greenberg last night.
“I was devastated for him. You know, he’s a hooper through and through, purest. He loves being out on the floor, I can tell, and a setback like this can really do something to you mentally. I know he’s strong, he has a strong support system. Look forward to seeing him out there next season. You know he’s gonna come back with a vengeance,” Durant said.
Ahead of Suns-Spurs at the University of Texas, @JaredSGreenberg caught up with @KDTrey5 in his return to his alma mater 🤝 pic.twitter.com/9seiwjNF5e
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) February 21, 2025
While Wembanyama will certainly have access to the best medical care, KD is right to worry about the mental aspect of his injury. Durant has had to miss his own share of games, particularly due to his Achilles injuries, so he understands how difficult it can be for a competitor like Wemby to remain sidelined.
As he recovers though, the Spurs show will be run by their newest addition, De’Aaron Fox. Swipa looked up to the task last night as he dropped 26 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks to defeat Durant and the Suns.
Victor Wembanyama’s injury went undiagnosed for most of the season
The Athletic’s Sam Amick reported that the 21-year-old was suffering the effects of deep vein thrombosis for a while before it was officially diagnosed. “Victor Wembanyama had experienced low energy lately that was causing concern.”
San Antonio’s medical staff decided to flag the concern when his energy levels remained low even after the All-Star break, leading to the announcement yesterday. There is positive news too though, as Amick added that the Spurs are “very confident he’ll be healthy and ready at the start of next season.”
For veteran Chris Paul, who is in the final seasons of his storied career, it must be doubly frustrating to have Wemby sidelined. It’s unclear whether the Point God will re-sign in San Antonio now that they have landed Fox, but Paul shared his feelings about the injury earlier yesterday.
“Trust me, you can’t replace Vic. I can’t stand on a guy’s shoulders and block every shot that comes to the rim. Aside from his basketball ability, his charisma and what he brings into the locker room, I think, is what we’ll miss the most,” the 39-year-old shared.
Wembanyama’s injury could mean that he has already played his last game next to CP3. Regardless, Paul assured the fans that San Antonio will still be gunning for a Play-In spot over the remainder of the season.
