Victor Wembanyama emotionally admits he cried over health scare before sending Spurs to NBA Cup final

Before Victor Wembanyama helped the San Antonio Spurs reach the NBA Cup final, the 21-year-old sat down with ESPN in what was an emotional interview about his health struggles.

Back in February, Wembanyama was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis in his shoulder, something which is also referred to as a blood clot.

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In a sit-down interview with ESPN, the 7-foot giant revealed that he began crying and was struggling when doctors told him the news.

“I remember clearly, it’s going to be one year soon since I learned,” Wembanyama said.

“It was five minutes of total breakdown, probably. Obviously, crying and sadness and feeling the fragility of life and health.”

Wembanyama was enjoying a stellar campaign, but after his diagnosis, the Spurs shut down his season, and the French star admitted it was enough of a scare to forget about basketball.

“I was thinking about this as… Like I just said, I wasn’t thinking about basketball. Basketball wasn’t my priority all of a sudden,” he added.

“At a time like this where you have to take measures quickly, you unfortunately have to make choices. There’s this worry of maybe not doing the right thing.

“I needed time to find myself again and then to get better. It was just the whole motor all summer, and I think it’s going to be for the rest of my career.

“It’s the best example that life is short, career is short. It can end just like this. So There’s no time to waste.”

Wembanyama was back playing basketball in the summer after his successful treatment and has enjoyed a strong start to this season.

While he’s missed the last 12 games due to a calf injury, in his first dozen matches, he averaged 26.2 points, 12.9 rebounds and 3.6 blocks.

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Wembanyama and Spurs shock Thunder to reach NBA Cup final

Wembanyama returned to the court against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the NBA Cup final on Saturday as the Spurs beat the champions 111-109.

He scored 22 points in 21 minutes of action to help the Spurs hand the Thunder just their second loss of the season as he came off the bench for the first time in his career at the start of the second quarter.

“It’s our first time playing [with] everybody [healthy],” Wembanyama said.

“We were already a solid team already more than 20 games ago. It’s just experience. We’re just figuring it out.

“And the difference with us and [Oklahoma City] is we haven’t had this many reps recognizing what it takes to win. And this is our next step.

“This OKC team, they’re not just first in the league. They’re way ahead of everybody. And when you watch them, no matter who, whether it’s the 12th man or the starting five, whether they’re playing against the 15th seed or any kind of game, they’re playing the same way.

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The Thunder didn’t seem to take the loss that badly as their superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander claimed the defeat left him excited.

“Personally, I think it’s exciting,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after their streak and franchise record of 16 consecutive wins was snapped.

“It’s easier to learn when you don’t feel the way you want to feel. It stings a little bit more.

“We’ll also see these guys [twice in the next five] games. So, it will be a good challenge. Kind of like an automatic test, almost like in school.

“You fail the test, you get to retest a couple days later. That’s what it will probably feel like. Losing is where you find growth and where you really get better.”

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