Is Victor Wembanyama Back for Spurs’ First Game Wednesday Night?

One of the more surprising storylines during the 2024-25 NBA season was Victor Wembanyama's season ending in February after he was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder.

His 24.3 point, 11.0 rebound, 3.7 assist All-Star season—which built off the momentum of a Rookie of the Year debut that lived up to his No. 1 overall pick hype—came to a screeching halt

DVT is, essentially, a blood clot, which typically requires surgery to remove the clot. Wembanyama avoided saying whether or not he underwent surgery speaking to the media last April. Other NBA players have dealt with DVT and made a full return, and the expectation is that Wembanyama's path should be just the same. Dr. Hugh A. Gelabert spoke with Sports Illustrated last season, describing Wembanyama's condition and that of Chris Bosh's career-ending pulmonary embolism as, "very different."

Victor Wembanyama's status for Spurs' opening game

Great news for Spurs fans: After having to close the last several months of '24-25 without the tantalizing size and talent of Wembanyama at their disposal, the Spurs will have him back to kick off this year. He has been fully cleared and is expected to start Wednesday's season opener against the Dallas Mavericks.

They went 11-19 after Wembanyama was ruled out for the year last season.

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Wembanyama at full health is expected to make another leap in his third NBA season with the Spurs, who are looking to make their first playoff appearance since the 2018-19 season under new head coach Mitch Johnson.

San Antonio's starting lineup is expected to round out like this:

Center: Victor Wembanyama
Power Forward: Harrison Barnes
Small Forward: Devin Vassell
Shooting Guard: Stephon Castle
Point Guard: De'Aaron Fox

It's a strong lineup that has both of the most recent Rookie of the Year award winners, but in a competitive Western Conference, will still have its work cut out to get back to the postseason.

The interstate matchup on opening night is an enticing one, with it also being No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg's regular season NBA debut for the Mavs.