Victor Wembanyama, an alien among cottons

Victor Wembanyama's recently discovered illness , which is a form of blood clot in his right shoulder, is a real blow for the San Antonio Spurs and the NBA. The 21-year-old French center will miss the rest of the season and there are no certainties about his future, although all parties are optimistic about a return in full condition. He had just played his first All-Star game and in his second season in the United States he was already the second most viewed player in the American league on social networks, only behind the everlasting LeBron James. It was the Los Angeles Lakers star himself who once called him an "alien" when the Frenchman had not even landed in the competition.

“He’s been great for the Spurs franchise so far, but he’s going to be great for our league for many, many years to come,” James insisted from San Francisco during the All-Star celebrations. The 2023 draft and Wemby ’s arrival in the NBA were a media event comparable only to the selection of the now 40-year-old veteran by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003. In fact, the league was so enthusiastic about the young talent that it offered all of his games in the French first division with the Metropolitans 92 live and free of charge, also organising two exhibition games in Las Vegas against the best American prospects.

“Victor is simply incredible,” Mark Tatum, vice-commissioner of the American league, told EL PAÍS . “At 21 years old, he has embraced his role as a global ambassador for the competition. We saw it in Paris, where people from 54 different countries came to see him, and for us, the way he presents himself, his humility and elegance is very remarkable,” added the number two in the league offices. Indeed, the NBA took less than a year to organize two regular season games in his home country for its great emerging star and hope for the future, with overwhelming success among the public and critics.

“That's what we have 'Wemby' for,” said 23-year-old Minnesota Timberwolves player Anthony Edwards when asked if he saw himself as the next face of the league. In his second year in the United States — after debuting as rookie of the year and member of the best defensive team in the 2023-24 season, an unprecedented combination in history — the lanky 2.21-meter giant was averaging 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists, one steal and 3.8 blocks per game in 33 minutes of play this season, with a 47.6% success rate in field goals and 35.2% in three-pointers. Not even Serbian Nikola Jokić , Cameroonian Joel Embiid or Greek Giannis Antetokounmpo, who have shared the last six Most Valuable Player (MVP) awards in the competition, reached these heights in their second year in the competition.

In an anonymous survey earlier this season, 24 of the 30 NBA general managers admitted they would choose Wemby if they could start a new project tomorrow. The health setback would probably dampen those prospects now. Wemby 's condition, a deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder, is not a typical condition for his profile and affected area. In the past, it has ended the career of a Hall of Famer like Chris Bosh, who won an NBA title with the Miami Heat at age 31.

Most recent cases, however, from Brandon Ingram to Ausar Thompson, have resulted in full recovery and successful return to elite level performance. “Most athletes are able to return to rigorous physical activity after treatment,” explains Dr. John Moriarty, an interventional radiologist at UCLA Health. Heavy air travel is one of the most common causes of this condition among athletes.

Doctors will now have to find out the cause of the clot and determine the risk of a recurrence. The biggest risk is that it could break off into the lungs and cause a pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal event. Most treatments last between three and six months and are based on the use of anticoagulants, the main reason why the French player will not be able to stay on the court. “If you play a match with anticoagulants and you hit your head, then the problem is much bigger,” explains the specialist, given the greater chance of suffering a hemorrhage under this type of medication. Some cases require surgery.

The Spurs , and even more so the NBA, want to take great care of Wembanyama in a context where more than 70% of their audience is global, a trend that fits with the consolidation of their international players in the league's elite. Events such as the transfer of Slovenian Luka Dončić to the Lakers breathe life into a competition that has always revolved around its big stars, until not so long ago 100% Made in USA . In the twilight of the careers of LeBron, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, benchmarks of the 21st century with permission from Kobe Bryant, the league has decided to definitively bet on its globalization.

The alien Wemby , despite being in cotton wool, remains the central piece of the NBA's future puzzle.