Victor Wembanyama to miss rest of Spurs season with scary ailment

Fresh off his first All-Star Game appearance, Victor Wembanyama's season is officially over.

The San Antonio Spurs star will miss the remainder of the season because of deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, the team announced on Thursday.

"The condition was discovered when Wembanyama returned to San Antonio following the All-Star Game in San Francisco," the Spurs revealed in an official injury update.

There is at least reason to hope this isn't a long-term concern for Wemby. Shams Charania reported on social media that the Spurs "believe this is an isolated condition."

Victor Wembanyama injury: What is deep vein thrombosis?

Here's the Mayo Clinic's description of deep vein thrombosis or DVT.

"Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot (thrombus) forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, usually in the legs. Deep vein thrombosis can cause leg pain or swelling. Sometimes there are no noticeable symptoms."

If you see "blood clot" and get seriously concerned, you're right to. This is an issue the Spurs and Wembanyama have to take seriously. A clot from his shoulder could break away and move towards his lungs, where it could block blood flow. That's called a pulmonary embolism and it's life-threatening.

Fortunately, Wemby's DVT was identified and doctors can address the issue.

Obviously, the most important thing here is Wembanyama's physical well-being. Catching this condition now makes it much more likely he will avoid any of the more dangerous results of a clot.

As for continuing his basketball career, there are examples on both sides of the spectrum.

Chris Bosh developed blood clots late in his career and ultimately had to retire because of it. Bosh's scenario is the worst-case scenario for Wemby. Right now, we have no reason to believe that's going to be the outcome here.

A more optimistic example is Brandon Ingram, who missed the second half of the 2018-19 season for the Lakers because of deep vein thrombosis in his right arm. He underwent surgery to remove the clot. He was right back on the court in the fall when the 2019-2020 season began.

With any luck, we'll see Wembanyama back in action next season. It's a bummer he won't have a chance to keep the Spurs pushing for the playoffs, but that's the least of his worries right now. And it should be the least of ours.