Victor Wembanyama will be out for the rest of the season due to blood clots in his shoulder. It’s something to be taken seriously. A previous All-Star even had to end his career because of it.
There have been quite a few cases of deep vein thrombosis, as Wembanyama has been diagnosed with, in the recent past. Last year, Ausar Thompson (Detroit Pistons) and Christian Koloko (then Toronto Raptors) had to take a long break due to the same thing; in Koloko’s case, his career was even said to be hanging by a thread. The center was allowed to play again after a nine-month break.
Blood clots are not uncommon in NBA players, as they are significantly more susceptible to them. This is especially true for tall people and frequent fliers, both of which apply to almost all NBA players. In most cases, this can be treated accordingly, but there is also a well-known exception.
NBA: Two-time NBA champion Bosh had to end his career
Hall of Famer Chris Bosh had to end his career because of such blood clots, and in his case, in 2016, the lungs were also affected. Such a clot can affect the arteries and thus disrupt blood circulation, which can be life-threatening. In Wembanyama’s case, the blood clot is in his shoulder and was detected early, so it can be treated with various blood thinners.
Bosh even made a comeback, but after a short time, another clot was detected in his leg. So Wembanyama’s career would only be at risk if the cases of thrombosis were to recur. The reason for this is that the constant use of blood thinners while playing a contact sport is very dangerous because of the risk of severe bleeding.
Brandon Ingram also had a thrombosis in his shoulder a few years ago, was diagnosed with it in March 2019 and was back in action by the start of the season. If all goes well for Wembanyama, this would be a good example.
