We know that Victor Wembanyama will be one of the greatest basketball players of all time — if he stays healthy. This is the statement that defines his career. Now, Wembanyama is out for the rest of the season with a deep vein thrombosis and a blood clot in his shoulder which, according to Dr. Brian Sutterer, “could have traveled to his lungs and killed him.”
For the last season and a half, Wembanayama and the San Antonio Spurs have refuted any doubts about his body’s propensity towards injuries — a tremendous accomplishment given his 7-foot-3, 235-pound frame. This refutation of doubt was justified by his awareness of his injury risk, his character and his attention to detail. Claims that he is wise beyond his years and uniquely motivated to protect his body were used to explain away any doubt. At Wembanyama’s height, there were always concerns about health as players like Yao Ming, Kristaps Porziņġis and Arvydas Sabonis all had good careers but were barred from greatness by injuries directly caused by their stature.
Wembanyama will inevitably have basketball-related injuries in his career, but he can mitigate the severity of these. He wants longevity, and it has seemed as though he could achieve it with meticulous training. There is a correlation between longevity and the use of high-level sports science, which Wembanyama will have access to during his career. Through precise preparation, all athletes can mitigate injuries, and it is clear that he takes pride in the daily process required to maintain and strengthen his body. Due to sheer chance, he was drafted by the Spurs, whose coaching and player development infrastructure have a reputation for being amongst the best in the NBA. Wembanyama is a ‘slenderman’ but moves gracefully — this is his most unique characteristic, and it appears that his body has been tuned for durability. The ingredients for longevity and durability at the highest level of basketball are a LeBron James-like regimen, a strong character and a good medical team.
Wembanyama has access to all three. You prepare for basketball injuries at 7-foot-3, but some things cannot be prepared for, like deep vein thrombosis. I want to resist the urge to try to speculate about the future here; there is no way that we can know how bad this is or what the future implications are. Basketball is now irrelevant for the time being. Life is unpredictable, and the things for which we prepare are often not the ones that define us most. This is now about mortality. We must not forget that those we place in the limelight suffer too and that their lives are defined by uncertainty and fear as much as ours. “The Alien” now must embark on a human recovery.
Prayers to him and to Coach Pop.
