{"id":124838,"date":"2025-02-20T14:47:03","date_gmt":"2025-02-20T19:47:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=124838"},"modified":"2025-02-20T14:47:03","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T19:47:03","slug":"famous-athletes-with-blood-clots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/20\/famous-athletes-with-blood-clots\/","title":{"rendered":"Famous Athletes with Blood Clots \u2013 Wemby\u2019s Future at Crossroads!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/20\/breaking-news-spurs-victor-wembanyama-out-for-season\/\" target=\"_self\">The San Antonio Spurs recently announced that Victor Wembanyama is out for the season<\/a> with deep vein thrombosis. Wemby is only 21 years old, but dealing with blood clots can be a life-threatening condition that requires constant therapy. Some athletes have returned to play, for example, Brandon Ingram, while others have had to end their careers. Nobody can predict what the outlook will be for the Spurs phenom, but let\u2019s take a look at a couple of famous athletes with blood clots.<\/p>\n<h2>Famous Athletes with Blood Clots \u2013 Wemby\u2019s Future at Crossroads!<\/h2>\n<p>Blood clots have hit a couple of NBA stars, but also NHL and Major League stars. Before we dig deeper, let\u2019s try and explain the condition briefly. Blood clots, commonly known as thrombosis, is a life-threatening condition that can lead to death if a piece of that clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/symptoms\/blood-clots\/basics\/definition\/sym-20050850\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mayo Clinic<\/a> defines a blood clot as \u201ca gel-like clump of blood that forms within a blood vessel to help the body stop bleeding after an injury\u201d. While common and not always serious, blood clots can form in the wrong place or at the wrong time. If they block blood flow, clots can cause serious health issues. There are three types of blood clots:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Venous thromboembolism, is an umbrella term including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. The former occurs in veins, commonly in legs, and involves the formation of a blood clot. If it breaks free and travels to the lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism.<\/li>\n<li>Pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood clot travels to the lungs and causes a blockage of an artery from the deep veins of the legs.<\/li>\n<li>Coronary thrombosis, is a blockage of an artery in the heart, leading to a heart attack.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Now let\u2019s talk about some of the most famous athletes with blood clots. That will give us a better outlook of what the future might hold for the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/20\/breaking-news-spurs-victor-wembanyama-out-for-season\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Spurs phenom<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Chris Bosh<\/h3>\n<p>Many NBA fans remember that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/b\/boshch01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Chris Bosh<\/a> had to retire early on, at only 31 years of age. In 2016, the two-time champion was diagnosed with thrombosis. Despite his desire to continue to play, he failed two physical exams, and the NBA ruled that Bosh\u2019s blood clotting issue was a career-ending illness. He never played again, and the team retired his jersey in 2019. However, he was able to play a few minutes for Goran Dragic&#8217;s retirement game.<\/p>\n<h3>Brandon Ingram<\/h3>\n<p>Midway through his last season with the Los Angeles Lakers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/i\/ingrabr01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Brandon Ingram<\/a> was diagnosed with a deep venous thrombosis in his right arm. The Lakers announced that their star forward will be out for the season. He missed the previous two games with shoulder pain.<\/p>\n<p>He was 21 years old at the time of his diagnosis, the same age Wemby is. But unlike Bosh, Ingram was able to make a full recovery and get back on the floor. The next season, in New Orleans, Ingram won the Most Improved Player of the Year Award as the No.1 option for the Pelicans. BI is 27 years old now, and while he has missed games due to injuries, blood clots were never an issue again. He is currently waiting to take the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/02\/18\/raptors-brandon-ingram-trade-makes-franchise-history\/\" target=\"_self\">floor for the Toronto Raptors after a trade.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Mirza Teletovic<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/teletmi01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mirza Teletovic<\/a> was taken out of a game to a local hospital in Los Angeles. His Brooklyn Nets were battling the Los Angeles Clippers when he experienced shortness of breath. The next day, the Nets announced he would miss the remainder of the season. He was 29 years old in 2015 when he was diagnosed with blood clots for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>Mirza played three more seasons. Like Ingram, he had his best season after the diagnosis. During the 2015-16 season, playing for the Phoenix Suns, Teletovic averaged 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.1 assists on almost 40% shooting from behind the arc.<\/p>\n<h3>Ausar Thompson<\/h3>\n<p>The latest example of an NBA player with blood clots, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/t\/thompau01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ausar Thompson<\/a> was initially diagnosed in March 2024. He was cleared to play after <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/10\/24\/pistons-why-ausar-thompson-blood-clot-issue-so-complicated\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">eight months<\/a>. He begin ramping up in November, before participating in full-contract practices and making his season debut. Thompson took eight months to get back to play, but we will have to wait and see how his career turns out.<\/p>\n<h3>Anderson Varejao<\/h3>\n<p>During the 2012-13 season, Cavs <a href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/v\/varejan01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Anderson Varejao&#8217;s<\/a>\u00a0season spiraled from a probable All-Star appearance to over. He was having a career year, averaging a career-high 14 points per game to go along with 14.4 rebounds. Then, in January, he went down with a bruised knee. The knee turned out to be a blood clot in his lower right lung. He made a full recovery and played five more seasons afterward. But he was battling other injuries and his time on the floor was limited.<\/p>\n<h3>Serena Williams<\/h3>\n<p>Now let\u2019s take a look at famous athletes with blood clots who were not basketball players. Serena Williams suffered a second pulmonary embolism after giving birth to her daughter Olympia. Her first blood clot issue came in 2011.<\/p>\n<p>Despite suffering a pulmonary embolism in 2011, Serena Williams dominated the tennis court for years. Even after her second embolism in 2017, she managed to get to a Grand Slam Final. But she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.today.com\/health\/womens-health\/serena-williamss-essay-black-pregnancy-rcna23328\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">retired shortly after<\/a>, saying she wanted to focus more on her family.<\/p>\n<h3>Sarah Franklin<\/h3>\n<p>Sarah Franklin is among the famous athletes with blood clots that have returned stronger. She and her team were in Europe when her hitting hand went cold, pale white, and with a dash of purple. The injury happened during practice, and doctors found three blood clots in an artery in her forearm.<\/p>\n<p>She underwent surgery, and six months later, in December, she <a href=\"https:\/\/www.palmbeachpost.com\/story\/sports\/college\/volleyball\/2023\/12\/24\/sarah-franklin-feature\/72012744007\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">won<\/a> the AVCA National Player of the Year award with All-American honors.<\/p>\n<h3>Steven Stamkos<\/h3>\n<p>Let\u2019s finish off our list of famous athletes with blood clots with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/5037\/steven-stamkos\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Steven Stamkos<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/story\/_\/id\/15121487\/steven-stamkos-tampa-bay-lightning-surgery-blood-clot-right-collarbone-miss-1-3-months\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">NHL player<\/a> who has played for several seasons after surgery for his blood clot. He was diagnosed with blood clots in April 2016, and after surgery, he missed several months.<\/p>\n<p>He returned to the sport he loves and won the Stanley Cup in 2020 and 2021.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 David Butler II-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The San Antonio Spurs recently announced that Victor Wembanyama is out for the season with deep vein thrombosis. Wemby is only 21 years old, but dealing with blood clots can be a life-threatening condition that requires constant therapy. Some athletes have returned to play, for example, Brandon Ingram, while others have had to end their [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5291,"featured_media":124847,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1608,2,62,34],"tags":[4704,308,4669],"class_list":["post-124838","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-basketball","category-featured","category-nba","category-spurs","tag-ausar-thompson","tag-brandon-ingram","tag-victor-wembanyama"],"modified_by":"Zach Kircher","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124838","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5291"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=124838"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124838\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":124848,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/124838\/revisions\/124848"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/124847"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=124838"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=124838"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=124838"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}