San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season after being diagnosed with a blood clot in his right shoulder, the team announced Thursday.
It is a massive blow to the Spurs (23-29), who are contending for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. And it is the second major hit to the Spurs this season after coach Gregg Popovich had a stroke in November and has been unable to coach since.
Wembanyama's condition — deep vein thrombosis — was diagnosed this week after he returned from the All-Star Game, the Spurs said. It is almost always treated with blood-thinning medication, which typically precludes a player from participating in a contact sport such as basketball.
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The 7-foot-3 Wembanyama was the league's Rookie of the Year last season and the frontrunner to be Defensive Player of the Year this season. He has already taken 403 3-pointers and blocked 176 shots this season — no player in NBA history has ever finished a season with those numbers, and Wembanyama did it this year by the All-Star break.
He is averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks and 3.7 assists; the only other player to finish a season averaging all that was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76.