Victor Wembanyama broke down in tears as his season ended.
Victor Wembanyama broke down in tears as his season ended.
BASKETBALL
Wembanyama’s season ended due to a blood clot. After being diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder, San Antonio star Victor Wembanyama’s season is probably over. This is the Spurs’ second major health setback in as many months and will keep one of the league’s best players out of action.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because those details were not made public, Wembanyama is starting treatment right away, and the Spurs are hoping that the 7-3 center from France will fully recover.
According to the source, Wembanyama, the NBA’s top shot-blocker this season and a first-time All-Star, might even play for France in the European championships this summer if he so chooses.
“You can’t replace Vic,” Chris Paul, a guard for the Spurs, stated. “I can’t stop every shot that reaches the hoop while standing on a guy’s shoulders. What we’ll miss most, in my opinion, besides his skill as a basketball player, is his personality and the energy he provides to the locker room.
The Spurs announced on Thursday that Wembanyama’s illness, deep vein thrombosis, was identified this week upon his return from the All-Star Game. Blood-thinning drugs are nearly always used to treat it, and because of the increased risk of bleeding, athletes participating in contact sports like basketball have long been cautioned against playing while taking these drugs.
Wembanyama was diagnosed approximately three and a half months after Spurs coach Gregg Popovich suffered a stroke and had to take time off. Since then, assistant coach Mitch Johnson has been the team’s acting coach. Although Popovich’s condition is getting better, the Spurs have not provided a timeline for when he will be able to return to the bench.
Wembanyama is the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year this season after securing Rookie of the Year honors last year. No player in NBA history has ever posted his current stat line over a full season, yet Wembanyama accomplished it by the All-Star break, recording 176 blocks and 403 three-pointers.Victor Wembanyama broke down in tears as his season ended.
The last player to finish a season with similar averages was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975–76. Wembanyama is now putting up 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.7 assists per game.
