SAN ANTONIO – Victor Wembanyama has announced his recovery from deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, which limited him to only 46 games last season. He confirmed this to the French newspaper L’Équipe, stating: “Officially, I am cleared to return.” A source from the league confirmed that the team has given the green light to Wembanyama.
Wembanyama, 21 years old, led the NBA last season in blocks despite his season being interrupted just after the All-Star break due to a blood clot in his right shoulder. After the initial diagnosis, the organization expected Wembanyama to be ready for the start of training camp in September, but the Frenchman recovered ahead of schedule. The 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year, Wembanyama, attempted 304 three-pointers last season, in addition to blocking 176 shots, numbers that no player in NBA history has ever achieved. He is a likely favorite to win the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.8 blocks. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-76) is the only other player in NBA history to have finished a season averaging those statistics. Recently, Wembanyama returned from training with monks during a 10-day stay at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China, followed by a vacation in Japan, where he starred in a couple of viral moments playing soccer. Sources indicated that Wembanyama trained in China because he wanted to subject his body to a different training method to learn more about himself. Wembanyama returned from Kung Fu training with the monks in China feeling that the extra work had done him good, especially in terms of mental concentration and body positioning, according to sources. Wembanyama appeared in the NBA Summer League on Thursday, which drew cheers at the Thomas & Mack Center as he made his way to his courtside seat alongside teammates De’Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie, and Keldon Johnson during the second quarter of San Antonio’s victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.“It just happened,” Wembanyama told L’Équipe. “I got the green light from the Spurs medical staff on Friday. Phew, I’ll finally be able to play some basketball again.”
Victor Wembanyama
