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San Antonio Spurs fans can finally exhale. Victor Wembanyama has been cleared to play after missing the last two months of the 2024-25 season with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. Head coach Mitch Johnson confirmed the news at the team’s media day Monday.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson says Victor Wembanyama has been medically cleared by both the Spurs and the NBA to return from the DVT that ended his prior season in February. pic.twitter.com/Ma1GMgdZSX
— Jared Weiss (@JaredWeissNBA) September 29, 2025
“Victor’s cleared,” Johnson said. “He’s been cleared by our medical team and by the league. … He’s been ramping up. He’s been in a really good place.”
The 7-foot-4 star, who is just 21 years old, enters his third NBA season already considered one of the most impactful players in the league. He was named Rookie of the Year, finished as Defensive Player of the Year runner-up, and earned his first All-Star nod last season before the health scare sidelined him.
“I can assure you no one has trained like I have this summer,” Wembanyama told reporters. “I’m so much under control and my conditioning is better. What I have done this summer is world class.”
Before being shut down, Wembanyama was putting up historic numbers, 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 3.8 blocks, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game in 33 minutes. He became the first player in NBA history to average at least three made three-pointers and three blocks a night, while also posting one of the five highest block rates the league has ever seen.
With their generational talent healthy again, the Spurs believe they can finally end a six-year playoff drought. That urgency fueled the decision to trade for De’Aaron Fox, who signed a four-year extension, and to draft Dylan Harper with the No. 2 pick in June.
The goals are simple, get back above .500, fight for a play-in spot or better, and prove they’re building toward contention.
“The stakes rise quickly when you’ve got a transformational figure like Wembanyama in the fold,” Johnson said.
As for Wembanyama, he made it clear he’s ready.
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