Doctor Explains Scary Victor Wembanyama, Damian Lillard Injuries

The NBA world was shocked when they learned that Victor Wembanyama would be ruled out for the season with deep vein thrombosis - a type of blood clot that requires medical intervention.

As shocking as it was when Wembanyama was announced with the injury, Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard was also announced with it shortly after. It's created a major concern among NBA fans as to why it keeps occurring among basketball players.

To explain the situation, Jared Weiss from The Athletic conducted interviews with numerous doctors across California.

“It’s not genetics or familial. It just randomly happens in certain people and is more common in people who have repetitive arm movements,” said Dr. Christopher Yi, vascular surgeon at Memorial Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, Calif. “Wembanyama, that’s probably what’s going on with him. In golf, Nelly Korda had that. It’s just sort of random people with repetitive arm movements.”

Feb 10, 2025; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) blocks a shot during the third quarter against the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images | Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

When it comes to a recovery timeline, each person is different. Getting a definitive timeline would be irresponsible to claim.

“The recovery is unpredictable and it’s all based on how long it takes for the blood clot to dissolve,” said Dr. Cheng-Han Chen. “Depending on the person, the time it takes for the blood clot to resolve could be anywhere from three months to a year. I understand why teams would be like, ‘We can’t give a timeline.’ Because if I were the doctor, I would tell the teams, ‘I can’t give you a timeline.’ ”

Mar 18, 2025; San Francisco, California, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Damian Lillard (0) walks back up court during the fourth quarter against the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

The scary part to watch out for is if the blood clots travel to the lungs and heart. That's where the recovery could be much more long term.

“If you get blood clots in the legs and they go to the lung, a PE, the recovery is much different,” Yi said. “You need to be on long-term blood thinners. You may have long-standing effects on leg swelling and lung function. That’s when you sometimes see athletes have to retire.”

In the case of Wembanyama, because of the DVT being in his arm, it seems like there's a great optimism that his recovery won't be too long. He already reportedly underwent surgery recently, and there's optimism that he'll be ready to play for the French national team at the FIBA EuroBasket tournament.

BREAKING: Victor Wembanyama had successful surgery to correct the blood clot injury in his right shoulder.

Wembanyama is hopeful that he can participate in the 2025 Eurobasket this summer.

Get well soon, Wemby! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/yXTp5XzoQ0
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) March 31, 2025

DVT is a scary situation for players to deal with, but hopefully, the cases of Victor Wembanyama and Damian Lillard show players how to successfully recover from it instead of having a situation like Chris Bosh's where they're forced into retirement.

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