Victor Wembanyama is expected to miss the remainder of the 2025 regular season with a blood clot in his right shoulder.
The 7-foot-3 Spurs center, who was the clear favorite to win Defensive Player of the Year, is suffering from deep vein thrombosis, the team announced.
Wembanyama, 21, was averaging 24.3 points and 11 rebounds per game in 33.2 minutes for the 23-29 Spurs.
San Antonio, who is the No. 12 seed in the Western Conference, will likely fall way out of favor despite being 3.5 games out of a playoff spot.
The Spurs currently have the 10th-best lottery odds in the NBA, although they could fall further now without their best player.
The 2025 NBA Draft is loaded, expected to have Cooper Flagg, Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper in the top three as the Spurs could now be poised to add one of them to the fold if the lottery balls fall their way.
