NBA – 3 months later, Victor Wembanyama’s honest take on his illness: « I’m really lucky »

Par Joël Pütz | Journaliste sportif

Victor Wembanyama, a victim of deep vein thrombosis, saw his season end just after the All-Star Game. Since recovering, the San Antonio center recently spoke about his health and how his franchise has been doing without him.

In 2023-24, the Spurs had a meager total of 22 wins and 60 losses. But while they haven’t returned to a 50% success rate this season, it was a much better one with a 34-48 record. Mitch Johnson’s men even fought for a spot in the Play-In for a long time before health concerns struck their stars. These include De’Aaron Fox and, above all, the inevitable Victor Wembanyama.

Monstrous during the first months of the season, the Frenchman was nevertheless visibly out of breath as the All-Star Game approached, and for good reason: just after it, he was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. This put an immediate end to his 2024-25 campaign and jeopardized his chances of participating in the Eurobasket this summer… Still, thats wasn’t enough to take the smile off his face.

Wembanyama provides an update on his health and the Spurs situation

When asked by ClutchPoints, the 2024 Rookie of the Year spoke frankly:

Looking back, I’m really lucky. (…) I think it’s all about perspective. All the attention I got from the incredible people here, incredible at their jobs and incredible persons too from my visits to the hospital and such.

I think I got as good as a care as you can get as a patient. This happened. But all of us in that room, all of us in the league we do with what we get. We do with what we’re blessed with. I’m still in the one percent luckiest people, so I’ve got nothing to complain about. It’s a really slight setback.

Rather than wallow in self-pity, the Alien prefers to look forward, as his team has made significant progress this year, even in his absence. While not necessarily winning many games, San Antonio has shown resilience and a strong fighting spirit. Wemby also praised his teammates for this:

I’ve seen some energy on the court and dedication that has grown throughout the season. At some point I even felt like, “Damn I wish we played like that when I was there” because I’m willing to do what these guys they do; dirty work. They sacrifice for the team every single game. I’m willing to show that I’m ready to do that too. Because I’m willing to do the dirty work just as they do every night.