Wembanyama was building his case for Defensive Player of the Year while anchoring an improved San Antonio team before the injury.
SAN ANTONIO — Spurs center and 2025 NBA All-Star Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the rest of the season with an injury to his right shoulder.
The team announced Thursday that Wemby has been diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. The condition was discovered when he returned from All-Star Weekend in San Francisco.
He is expected to miss the rest of the season, having averaged 24.3 points, 11 rebounds and a league leading 3.8 blocks in 46 games.
NBA insider Shams Charania added that he has a form of a blood clot in the right shoulder. The Spurs think this is an isolated condition.
San Antonio is 23-29 entering Thursday’s game against the Phoenix Suns, a mark that put them three and a half games back of a spot for the Play-In Tournament. The absence of Wembanyama – the NBA’s leading shots-blocker this year – creates a defensive liability for the team that now may be prioritizing growth over playoff contention.
At the same time, Spurs point guard Chris Paul said Thursday that Wemby’s impact goes beyond his standout play on the court.
“Tough morning for all of us, knowing how much he means to our team, but more so knowing how much he means to the game and how much he loves to play,” Paul said at shootaround on Thursday. “You can’t replace Vic. Aside from his basketball ability, his charisma and what he brings into the locker room I think is what we’ll miss the most.”