Victor Wenbanyama is expected to miss the rest of the 2025 regular season with a blood clot in his right shoulder.
The 7-foot-3 Spurs Center, a clear favorite to win Player of the Year, is suffering from deep venous thrombosis, the team announced.
San Antonio doesn't expect the injury to last until next season, as they believe the injury is a “isolated incident” and will fully recover by the fall.
The Spurs hope that the blood clots aren't spreading as he prepares for offseason training.
It is unclear whether he's coach Greg Popovich next season suffering a stroke and hasn't returned to their bench in the Spurs' odd season.
Wenbanyama played 46 games for the Spurs this season, but award winners are not eligible for the award as they must play at least 65 games.
The 21-year-old Wenbanyama averaged 24.3 points and 11 rebounds per game in 33.2 minutes for the Spurs, 23-29.
San Antonio, the No. 12 seed at the Western Conference, will likely break out of favor despite being 3.5 games from the playoff spot.
The Spurs currently have the odds of the 10th best lottery in the NBA, but they could drop even further without the best players.
It is loaded in the 2025 NBA Draft, with Cooper Flag, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper expected to be in the top three. Because the Spurs are ready to add one of them to the fold if the lottery ball falls.
San Anotonnio has its own first round pick and an unprotected Atlanta Hawks pick, which is expected to become a lottery pick even in a strong draft class.
The Spurs recently acquired Dearon Fox in trade with the King. It was expected to build them up further in rankings, but this recent development curtails enthusiasm for San Antonio.
Wenbanyama recently played surprisingly hard for the young star and “Shack's OGS” over the All-Star weekend.
He joined in those games for 13 minutes and scored 17 points.
