Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (center) told French newspaper L'Equipe that he has been fully cleared to return to basketball after deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder ended his season in February.
Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (center) told French newspaper L'Equipe that he has been fully cleared to return to basketball after deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder ended his season in February.David Becker/Associated Press
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama expects to play this coming season and has been fully cleared after dealing with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder for the last few months, he told the French newspaper L’Equipe in remarks published Monday.
There was no immediate comment from the Spurs on the report. It has been expected that the team anticipated Wembanyama would be able to start this coming season, though there was no official word until now.
“I’m officially cleared to return. . . . I’ll finally be able to play a bit of basketball again,” Wembanyama told the French sports daily.
Wembanyama was the league’s rookie of the year two years ago, and Spurs guard Stephon Castle won that same trophy this past season. Wembanyama was the front-runner to be defensive player of the year last season when he was diagnosed with the blood clot in his right shoulder in February.
He was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, and 3.7 assists when he was shut down; the only other player in NBA history to finish a season averaging all that was Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1975-76.
Wembanyama has traveled extensively recently and spent time last month at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China. The temple is a place that welcomes visitors who wish to study Chan meditation, Shaolin Kung Fu, traditional Chinese medicine, and more.