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Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif
While the talent of a player like Victor Wembanyama is undeniable, one might wonder about his longevity on the pitch. The recent testimony of former champion John Salley is not reassuring in this regard…
There’s no doubt about it: Victor Wembanyama has what it takes to become the next face of basketball. In addition to being exceptionally gifted on both ends of the court and delivering some truly insane performances, the Spurs center demonstrates an impeccable work ethic and attitude. He ticks all the boxes.
However, the Alien remains a human being and therefore has his flaws, despite himself. In this case, his exceptional body can sometimes turn against him, as was the case in 2024-25. Visibly tired as the All-Star Game approached, the Frenchman was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis a few days later. This put an immediate end to his season, which had started off with a bang.
John Salley’s chilling revelation about the “really” big men
For now, everything seems to indicate that he will be back at the start of next season. But can we hope to see him have a full career and, more importantly, what will his life after basketball look like? This is where the problem lies, according to John Salley, a former four-time champion who spoke about the health of the court giants:
John Salley: Your heart doesn’t last as long as others.
DJ Vlad: Really?
John Salley: Yeah, it’s a lot of strain for your heart to push blood all the way to the big toe and then back up to the bottom of your cranium, cuz blood doesn’t go all the way up, it just goes right to here, that’s a lot.
DJ Vlad: But you don’t really see really tall guys like dying early. Do you?… I mean Kareem (Abdul-Jabbar) is still alive.
John Salley: (He) had a quadruple bypass and did some things a lot of people don’t, especially seven-footers, you know it’s a 50/50 chance getting past 60, so you know if you make it past is cool.
Obviously, a player like Wemby won’t play until that old, but health problems could start much earlier… and we may have seen the beginnings of them in 2024-25. San Antonio’s medical staff will therefore have to be particularly cautious when it comes to him, not only for the long-term benefit of the franchise, but also for their own.
