SAN ANTONIO -- Victor Wembanyama announced he has recovered from the deep vein right thrombosis in his right shoulder that limited him to just 46 games last season, telling French newspaper L'quipe, "I'm officially cleared to return."
A league source confirmed the team has cleared Wembanyama.
"It just happened," Wembanyama told L'quipe. "I got the green light from the Spurs' medical staff just [on Friday]. Phew, I'll finally be able to play a bit of basketball again."
Wembanyama, 21, led the NBA last season in blocked shots despite his season being cut short right after All-Star break due to the blood clot in his right shoulder. After the original diagnosis, the organization expected Wembanyama to be ready for the start of September training camp, but the Frenchman recovered ahead of schedule.
The 2023-24 NBA Rookie of the Year, Wembanyama took 304 3-pointers last season in addition to blocking 176 shots, numbers that no player in NBA history has ever achieved. A likely favorite to win the 2025-26 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Wembanyama averaged 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 3.8 blocks. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1975-76) is the only other player in NBA history to finish a season averaging that stat line.
Wembanyama recently returned from training with monks during a 10-day stay at a Shaolin temple in Zhengzhou, China, followed up by a vacation in Japan, where he produced a couple of viral moments playing soccer. Sources said Wembanyama trained in China because he wanted to put his body through a different method of training to learn more about himself.
Wembanyama returned from kung fu training with the monks in China feeling like the extra work had done him some good, especially with mental focus and body positioning, sources said.
Wembanyama showed up at NBA Summer League on Thursday, bringing the crowd at Thomas & Mack Center to applause when he walked over to his courtside seat alongside teammates De'Aaron Fox, Harrison Barnes, Jeremy Sochan, Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson during the second quarter of San Antonio's win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
