Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the San Antonio Spurs announced Thursday. This, obviously, is not a standard sports injury. Wembanyama didn’t tear a muscle or break a bone here. This is a blood clot, and a medical condition that can have ramifications that extend far beyond basketball. That has left a lot of Spurs fans wondering what exactly deep vein thrombosis is.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Deep vein thrombosis (DVT, also called venous thrombosis) occurs when a thrombus (blood clot) develops in veins deep in your body because your veins are injured or the blood flowing through them is too sluggish.” It is not clear what exactly caused Wembanyama’s blood clot, but typically, inactivity (potentially through travel or time on the bench) and dehydration are possible culprits.
Wembanyama’s clot was discovered, according to The Athletic’s Sam Amick, because Wembanyama had experienced low energy throughout All-Star Weekend and the days that followed. Blood clots are rare in the NBA, but they do happen, and the outcomes for players who get them can vary wildly.
Chris Bosh, notably, lost his career to blood clots. He suffered his first one in 2015, returned in 2016 only to endure another one soon after, and eventually, the NBA deemed Bosh’s condition to be career-ending. Part of the problem for Bosh was that he needed to take blood thinning medication to treat his condition, and doing so while playing a contact sport like basketball creates serious danger for excessive bleeding. Bosh has not played in the NBA since 2016.
Victor Wembanyama injury: Spurs star expected to miss rest of season with deep vein thrombosis in shoulder
Jasmyn Wimbish
Mike Finger of The San Antonio Express-News reported that the Spurs are optimistic that Wembanyama will be ready for next season and that this is not as serious as the issue Bosh dealt with. If this is indeed an isolated incident as the Spurs believe, then it would be closer to what Brandon Ingram dealt with six years ago. In 2019 when Ingram was a member of the Los Angeles Lakers, he was diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis in his right arm. That ended his 2018-19 season, but he went on to win the 2019-20 Most Improved Player award as a member of the New Orleans Pelicans. He has not dealt with clotting issues since.
Ingram’s problem was solved through thoracic outlet decompression surgery, a procedure that is common for athletes who frequently make motions that bring their arms above their heads. Shooting is an example of such a motion. The procedure helps create better blood flow in the upper body. “It’s a night-and-day difference between a hematological issue, or a blood issue however you want to put it, and a structural issue,” Ingram’s agent, Jeff Schwartz, told ESPN at the time. “This was not related to his blood producing something that would cause blood clots. This was purely structural.” Hopefully for Wembanyama and the Spurs, his circumstances prove similar.
All of the reporting thus far has expressed optimism about Wembanyama’s long-term outlook. If this is simply an isolated incident, he should be able to return next season at full strength and resume what has thus far been a stellar career.
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