Victor Wembanyama, Chris Bosh, and history of blood clots with NBA players

Blood clotting really first came to light in the NBA when Chris Bosh was dealing with the issue in 2015. The stretch power forward earned 11 All-Star nods during his NBA career. His most productive days came with the Toronto Raptors, who drafted him 4th overall in 2003 (one of the best NBA Draft classes ever). He was perhaps best known for being a member of the Miami Heat’s big three that featured LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. That team, in a way, invented the super team, and they won two championships together.

After the 2015 All-Star Game, Bosh was admitted to a Miami hospital because of trouble with his lungs. He was ruled out for the season on Feb. 21 after a blood clot was discovered in said lung. Bosh would return to action the following season, but he then dealt with a blood clot in his leg in 2016 that forced him to miss the back half of that season, too.

The second blood clot made team physicians even more worried, and recurring problems with the issue effectively ended his career. Bosh didn’t officially retire until 2019, as he contemplated various NBA comebacks, but he never played again after the 2015-16 season.

Weirdly, Bosh wasn’t the only NBA player dealing with blood clots around that time. Only days before Bosh’s original blood clot diagnosis, former NBA player Jerome Kersey passed away at age 52 after a blood clotting problem that occured after a knee surgery. Less than a month before that, then-Brooklyn Net Mirza Teletovic was diagnosed with bilateral pulmonary embolus, another blood clotting issue in the lungs. He returned to play that season, but blood clotting resurfaced two years later in 2017. The latter of his two health issues was ruled a career-ending illness.

Victor Wembanyama and recent NBA stars to have blood clots

Like Bosh, Victor Wembanyama’s blood clotting issue was discovered directly after the NBA All-Star Game. Wembanyama had been dealing with discomfort in his shoulder, and after taking time off didn’t help, he and his team’s doctors discovered the issue. Now, Wembanyama will miss the rest of the season, although he is expected to make a full recovery for next season.

The center was averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.1 blocks per game. He was well on his way to running away with the Defensive Player of the Year award.

The same issue Wembanyama is dealing with is what Brandon Ingram had in 2019. Ingram had deep vein thrombosis in his arm during his final season with the Los Angeles Lakers. Ingram was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans during his recovery, and he proceeded to make the All-Star Game and win the Most Improved Player of the Year award, proving a full recovery is possible from this scare.

Ausar Thompson was also dealing with blood clotting this year. Thompson was having a solid rookie season for the Detroit Pistons last season, but he was shut down for the year in March because of blood clotting. The issue delayed his start for the 2024-25 season, but the former number-five pick has looked great since returning. He has been a big reason for the Pistons’ drastic improvements this year.

Christian Koloko is another player who has dealt with blood clots recently. His 2023 issue resulted in the Raptors waiving him and him being put in the NBA’s fitness-to-play panel. That prevented teams from claiming him until he was medically cleared. Koloko has since been cleared and is now on the Lakers roster.

College star with blood clots

One of the scariest blood clotting issues in basketball history occurred with Keyontae Johnson in 2020. Johnson was eventually drafted in the second round by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2023, but his life and career were at risk before that during his time with the Florida Gators.

Johnson collapsed on the court during a game on Dec. 12, 2020, and he ended up in a medically induced coma for three days. Johnson missed two years of basketball action while recovering from myocarditis, but he revitalized his draft stock after transferring to Kansas State and becoming one of the best college basketball players in the nation. Johnson now plays for the Greensboro Swarm.

There have surely been other NBA players with blood clot issues, but these were the players we were able to confirm did. It isn’t clear why the issue is seemingly becoming more common, especially for younger players.

NBA fans are hopeful that Wembanyama will make a full recovery, and the Spurs have signalled that he should, considering his issue is isolated and shouldn’t affect the rest of his body like Bosh’s blood clotting did. Regardless, this is a scary situation, and it is unfortunate for Wembanyama and all basketball fans alike.