Victor Wembanyama might be one of the most talented basketball players the world has ever seen. He is already one of the greatest defenders of all time, and he can still move and shoot like a point guard, but there is a growing question surrounding one of his biggest weaknesses: his overall health.

At 7 foot 4 and 240 pounds, his height, frame and physical demands make him an unusually fascinating durability case, and this is demonstrated scarily in recent back to back games, where he rolled his ankle twice.

These issues could be what stands in his way from becoming one of the best to ever do it. But, in this video, we are breaking down 3 reasons why I am optimistic that Wembanyama will remain healthy, and how he could become one of, if not the great player in NBA history.

Starting with the first reason why I believe Wemby’s injuries truly mean nothing, because if you wanted it enough, your brain can propel far beyond minor pain.

POINT 1: MENTALITY & DISCIPLINE

Most players in Wembanyama’s would just accept that they are an abnormally enormous player and stick to their lane. Wemby, however, isn’t approaching his limitations like an ordinary player would.

He is actively trying to understand his body and find ways to improve it, which is one of his greatest abilities.

In February 2025, Wembanyama, was having the best season of his career, 24.3 points, 11 rebounds, 1.1 steals, a league leading 3.8 blocks, and was the early favourite for the defensive player of the year.

But suddenly, tragedy struck. Wemby was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder. DVT is a blood clot that forms in one or more of the deep veins in the body, and this single medical condition took him out for the entire season.

He only played 46 games and missed out on all post-season awards, but somehow, he used this experience to change how he approaches his career.

In his 60 minutes interview, Wembanyama explained that life is so short, and he doesn’t want to waste it on being somebody else.

This has led to one of the most interesting things about Wembanyama: his experiments with his training.

He studied meditation with the Shaolin monks in China, he explored different movements through kung fu, and worked on conditioning and strength through rugby.

This has led to his particular interest in foot strength and biomechanics. He has spoken before about how foot posture can influence the knees, hips and back, which has elements of truth to it.

Most players focus simply on becoming better basketball players, Wemby is equally interested in becoming a better athlete, but also how his body works.

But having the right mindset is only half the battle. Eventually, you actually have to prove that your body can withstand the demands of professional basketball.

POINT 2: PHYSICAL RESILIENCE

Despite Wembanyama’s extensive injury history, he has shown genuinely impressive signs of physical resilience, but we first have to establish the timeline.

Deep vein thrombosis and a left calf strain in 2025, a knee hyperextension in early 2026, and most recently a pair of rolled ankles, it is easy to see why people are concerned.

The calf injury alone forced him to miss approximately 12 games.

But overall, he is actually one of the healthiest players in the NBA considering his height, and that is because the blood clot was a vascular condition, not a conventional injury caused by basketball.

When Wemby rolled his ankle vs the Dallas Mavericks on November 4th, he was also suffering from a virus, but still managed to record 52 points, 24 rebounds and 8 blocks in a massive win.

He did this again in Sacramento and managed to still record 30 points, 2 blocks and 14 rebounds in a 15 point victory.

Being durable doesn’t mean you never get injured, it just means you are able to withstand physical demands and recover well to return to the same high level as before.

But don’t simply confuse playing through a terrible injury as being durable, but it does signify that he is getting use to the pain and his body is responding well overall to the issue.

But there is another factor, and this last one is arguably the most important one.

POINT 3: THE ENVIRONMENT

Victor Wembanyama can do everything correctly, but he has something that many young players with unusual physical profiles don’t necessarily have: an organisation that understands how important his long-term health is.

San Antonio in general has always had an interest in protecting their franchise players. The organisation has no problem accepting fines for resting players.

But the organisation needs to consider ankle and foot strength, lower body mobility, recovery and workload management, monitoring stress and injury risk over an 82 game season.

Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson said that even when Wembanyama first arrived in San Antonio, conversations about player health, recovery, fitness and recovery was already started.

Wembanyama’s health isn’t just something the Spurs should consider after an injury, they have to constantly adjust and check in every single day.

Teammate Dylan Harper has described his commitment to mobility and treatment as one of the major factors behind his resilience.

Wembanyama has the mindset to improve, the physical resilience to compete and an organisation that can help him manage the demands of his body.

But there is no guarantee. Injuries are unpredictable, and even the best medical departments cannot eliminate risk.

And when you put all three of these things together, you start to understand why I’m not quite ready to panic about Victor Wembanyama.”

Wembanyama’s injury history is something worth monitoring. A season-ending blood clot, a calf strain and recurring ankle incidents aren’t things you can simply dismiss.

But his mindset means he is actively trying to look for ways to improve his physical condition, and his durability has already produced some remarkable performances despite setbacks.

I think it’s important to remember that Victor Wembanyama is still only 22 years old.

We don’t know exactly what his body will look like in five, ten or fifteen years. And honestly, nobody does.

But what we do know is that he’s approaching this challenge differently.

He’s curious, he’s disciplined, he’s constantly developing, and he’s surrounded by an organisation that understands just how important his health is.

Because if Wembanyama can stay healthy, I genuinely believe we’re looking at a player who could change the way we think about basketball.

Watch the full video coming soon on the channel: @Ballersculture.