Spurs Star Victor Wembanyama Breaks Silence on Blood Clot Recovery

Since Feb. 20, the only time Victor Wembanyama has faced the media was ... well, never.

The 21-year-old Frenchman was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder ahead of a quasi-home game against the Phoenix Suns at Moody Center in Austin, Texas. The news broke just before shootaround and, since then, Wembanyama's condition has remained shrouded — illuminated only occasionally by noncommittal statements from acting Spurs coach Mitch Johnson.

"He's doing very well," Johnson said in late March. "I think he would've wanted to be out on the court to block some shots and make some buckets for us ... (but) we'll keep it all in-house."

Sunday afternoon, Wembanyama broke his own silence on his recovery process ahead of the Spurs' final game of the season.

"I'm able to do hard work, hard lifting," the 7-footer reassured. "It's all very controlled and light. Sometimes, I feel like I'd like to do more ... (but) it's logical, medial direction, so I trust the process."

For the first time since undergoing surgery to address his DVT (blood clot) Victor Wembanyama met with reporters today. An Update on his progress here. pic.twitter.com/fwWGfB1mB6
— Don Harris (@DonHarris4) April 13, 2025

Wembanyama made a few appearances on San Antonio's bench after his diagnosis, most notably in Sacramento when his co-star, De'Aaron Fox, played a return game against his former team.

Shortly after that, he underwent surgery to address the blood clot and wasn't seen until he sat courtside with Hakeem Olajuwon for the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship on April 7.

This season, Wembanyama appeared in 46 games, averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, and a league-leading 3.8 blocks per game on 47 percent shooting from the field. He was on pace for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year, a spot on 1-of-3 All-NBA squads and potentially the league's Most Improved Player of the Year Award, but fell short of the league's newly required 65-game threshold.

When asked about the earlier report regarding Victor Wembanyama's surgery, #Spurs acting coach Mitch Johnson had this to say:

"I will stay on-message. We're going to keep his plan and program in-house for now. But his health is of the utmost priority. He's doing very well."
— Matt Guzman (@mattgzman) March 28, 2025

Does that bother him? Certainly, though not for awards' sake. As Johnson explained, Wembanyama was "going crazy" from not playing alongside his teammates.

Still, he trusts the process and the team's chosen direction of patience.

That much hasn't changed.

"We're taking our time," Wembanyama said. "I'm neither late nor early. It's a process. There's definitely steps I need to take before (I come back)."

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