By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Due to right shoulder deep vein thrombosis, Victor Wembanyama sat out the last part of the 2024-25 NBA Regular Season.
“I’m able to do hard work, hard lifting, and also basketball work,” the 21-year-old French center updated his status during an end-of-season press conference on Sunday, “It’s all very controlled and light. Sometimes, I feel like I would like to do more. It’s logical, a medical direction.”
“We’re taking our time. I’m neither late nor early. It’s a process. There are definitely steps to reach that,” he added on additional progress required to be cleared for contact.
Following the All-Star break, Wemby did not return for the San Antonio Spurs. His sophomore NBA campaign settled at 46 appearances with 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, 3.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per contest.
“At the time, I definitely didn’t know. But looking back, I did feel a certain way,” he talked about the season-ending setback.
Handling more questions about the thrombosis, Wembanyama generally focused on the future but shared details about the diagnosis.
“It’s something really hard. I’m not going to lie and say it is easy. But I can say I was ready for it,” he said on his initial reaction, “It is part of my job to be ready for injuries and such. By no means was it easy to learn and process that. But by no means was I not ready. I think I did and I’m still doing the best we can do, taking care of my body, trusting the incredible work of the medical staff.”
“There’s many more things than surgery when you go to a hospital for a blood clot,” he rejected confirming shoulder surgery, “I am not going to expand on my medical record, but I definitely did some visits to the hospitals, to the doctors, and to the specialists.”
“I had symptoms, so I kind of looked into it before. I wouldn’t say I was shocked, but to hear from the mouth of professionals is different, for sure,” added the native of Le Chesnay.
“Unfortunately, most of us need something like that to happen to them, to realize some things. In the long run, it’s going to be good for me,” concluded Wembanyama.
EuroBasket
In the French portion of the press conference, he was asked about the EuroBasket 2025, on the heels of several reports about possibly representing France in this summer’s international tournament.
“I don’t know if it’s realistic,” he confessed about joining the team coached by Frederic Fauthoux, “There are a lot of uncertainties.”
France will compete in Katowice in the preliminary round of the EuroBasket. The Group D schedule features clashes with Belgium, Slovenia, Israel, Poland, and Iceland between August 28 and September 4. Ranking first through fourth would clinch a berth in the knockout stage and a trip to Riga.