Victor Wembanyama entered the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs ' future pinned on him. He was and still is considered a unicorn, standing at 7'3" with an 8-foot wingspan and having guard-like shooting and handling abilities.
However, Wembanyama's anticipated rise was halted midway through the 2024-2025 season. He was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his right shoulder, cutting his sophomore year at 46 games, where he averaged 24. 3 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 3.8 blocks.
The young French star described the injury as a traumatic experience, making him realize he needed to take a step back from everyone's sky-high expectations.
"Spending so much time in hospitals and around doctors and hearing more bad news than I wish I heard. Of course…it is traumatic," he said at the Spurs' media day. ƒ
Now 21, Wemby took these lessons to heart during the offseason. We witnessed him taking on side quests — visiting the NASA space center and the Shaolin Temple in China — that sent the basketball world into a frenzy.
"I mean, life isn't forever," Wembanyama said . "And there are some experiences we're going to miss on, it is inevitable, but I'm going to miss on the least that I can."
In June, pictures of a bald Wembanyama wearing a gray robe circulated on social media. It was confirmed that the All-Star center was visiting a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China for a 10-day trip.
During his stay, he trained with monks and learned about Shaolin Kung Fu, traditional Chinese medicine and Chan meditation. For Wembanyama, the temple visit was truly one for the books.
"I really loved it. Training with the monks in the temple, incredible experience, very much outside my comfort zone. It was my intent from the start," he said. "It really paid off in terms of training and as a life experience, as a curious person, it was just great."
In September, the "Alien" landed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston , where he rode a lunar rover and toured the Vehicle Mockup Facility and Mission Control Center.
Experiencing and doing exciting activities like these, Wemby said, is something he wants to keep doing during his NBA career while staying unencumbered by the weight of stardom.
"I want to experience the most and this is something that I wanted to do," he said. "Just because I'm in the NBA, I'm not going to keep myself from doing it. I want to experience those things."
The San Antonio star's road to recovery was tough, considering the seriousness of his illness.
In an explainer by NBA.com, DVT in the shoulder is less common. This could also lead to a fatal pulmonary embolism if the blood clot finds its way into the lungs, according to WedMd , which could potentially threaten his career.
Fortunately, Wembanyama has fully recovered and has been cleared by the organization to play in the 2025-2026 season.
"I feel better, I look stronger and the scale says I'm heavier," he said. "So everything is a green light."
In his third season, Wembanyama turns his focus back to basketball. He will return carrying the same expectations of the Spurs and will be determined to exceed them. But after his summer, he surely won't lose sight of what is truly important throughout the process – enjoying his life off the court.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 30, 2025, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
