San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the team announced Thursday.
If that sounds familiar to Miami Heat fans, that’s because it’s the same affliction that cut short Chris Bosh’s career in 2016.
According to ESPN, the Spurs are optimistic that Wembanyama will make a full recovery by the beginning of the 2025-26 season.
The Spurs said in a statement that a blood clot was discovered after Wembanyama returned to San Antonio after the All-Star Game. The condition is typically treated with blood-thinning medication, which usually precludes a player from participating in a contact sport such as basketball.
When Bosh was first diagnosed with the condition in 2016, he treated with blood thinners but never made a full recovery. Bosh missed the 2016 playoffs and never played another game for the Heat after years of trying to make a comeback.
Fortunately for Wembanyama, the reports indicate that he should make a return. But it cuts his exciting second season short. Wembanyama was the Defensive Player of the Year favorite and starred for a team that has a chance to compete for the play-in tournament and recently traded for De’Aaron Fox.
Because Wembanyama will miss the remainder of the season, he is ineligible for end-of-season awards.
If there’s an impact of the Heat, it’s that the Defensive Player of the Year race is now wide open. Before Wembanyama’s injury news, Bam Adebayo was near the top five in Defensive Player of the Year odds, according to most sports books. Adebayo is a perennial Defensive Player of the Year candidate but has yet to win the award in his career.
The Heat return to regular season play Friday night at the Toronto Raptors.