San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama hasn't played since late February after being ruled out for the season with deep vein thrombosis (DVT). However, he could soon return to the court.
Having DVT normally requires being put on blood thinners, which limits physical activity, and was the main reason why Wembanyama was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Fortunately, it is not expected to be a recurring issue, and according to a new report, he could soon be back on the court, possibly as early as July.
🚨 Victor Wembanyama was recently expected to undergo surgery following the deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
— Maxime Aubin (@MaximeAubin1) March 27, 2025
French national team coach Frédéric Fauthoux announced it today, adding he’s hopeful that Wemby will participate in the EuroBasket tournament this summer.…
That will be a surprisingly quick turnaround considering that that would just be six months since he was ruled out from basketball activity. There would be a risk that he is returning too soon to play in an event that isn't as important as EuroBasket.
Should the San Antonio Spurs prevent Victor Wembanyama from playing in EuroBasket?
If there is no risk of injury or complications involving DVT, then Wembanyama should be free to play in EuroBasket. Whether the Spurs want him to is a different story, however. On one hand, him playing against high-level competition after spending months off the court would help to shake the rust off and potentially allow him to hit the ground running when the regular season starts less than a month after EuroBasket ends.
That would be a good thing since he would otherwise go nine months without having played a game were he to sit out. Then again, Wembanyama is the Spurs sun, moon, and stars, and him playing over the summer still brings some type of injury risk in games that doesn't mean anything to San Antonio.
Ironically, they have dealt with this before, with former Spurs stars Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili both having spent several summers playing internationally. Both were able to keep from getting injured, though it may have caused them to get off to slow starts considering their offseason workload.
It's important to point out, however, that they frequently played until May or even June, so the risk of Wembanyama being tired during the start of the season is much lower considering his season was over in February.
Ultimately, the pros should weigh out the cons, and if he is healthy enough to play this summer for France, then he should do so. It would also give Spurs fans a chance to see how he performs following a prolonged absence and potentially give them a preview of how he will play next season for San Antonio.