Do you fly much, Victor?

"People who travel long distances ... may be at risk for blood clots"

The NBA’s next standard bearer, Victor Wembanyama, is out, likely for the rest of the season, with a diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis. PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

I’m not a doctor. I haven’t seen Victor Wembanyama’s medical chart nor his family history. But I have google, and can see that Victor does not seem to have many of the leading factors contributing to deep vein thrombosis. He’s not over 60, he’s not immobile, he’s not pregnant, on birth control pills, nor obese. He might be French but I don’t think he smokes nor, heaven forbid, do I suspect this 21-year-old of harboring cancer.

But there is this one evident factor in his medical profile: travel.

The Centers for Disease Control says: "people who travel long distances, whether by air, car, bus, or train, may be at risk for blood clots."

Since Halloween, Victor has had the following public itinerary:

1. Fly to Dallas

2. Fly to San Antonio

3. Fly to Oklahoma City

4. Fly to Salt Lake City

5. Fly to San Antonio

6. Fly to Los Angeles

7. Fly to Houston

8. Fly to San Antonio

9. Fly to Dallas

10. Fly to San Antonio

11. Fly to Salt Lake City

12. Fly to San Antonio

13. Fly to Sacramento

14. Fly to Phoenix

15. Fly to San Antonio

16. Fly to Portland

17. Fly to San Antonio

18. Fly to Philadelphia

19. Fly to New York

20. Fly to Minnesota

21. Fly to San Antonio

22. Fly to Denver

23. Fly to San Antonio

24. Fly to Chicago

25. Fly to Milwaukee

26. Fly to Los Angeles

27. Fly to San Antonio

28. Fly to Miami

29. Fly to Paris

30. Fly to San Antonio

31. Fly to Memphis

32. Fly to Atlanta

33. Fly to Charlotte

34. Fly to Orlando

35. Fly to Washington D.C.

36. Fly to Boston

37. Fly to San Antonio

38. Fly to San Francisco

39. Fly to San Antonio

Some of you are thinking: So what? Michael Jordan did that, and he was fine.

Michael Jordan missed about four seasons to injury or, citing exhaustion, baseball and premature retirement—and he didn’t fly to Paris in midseason.

But also: Victor’s a one-in-billion prospect and no matter what happened with MJ, you want this guy firing on all cylinders. And we have to ask how much this body likes airplanes. You know what’s another risk factor for deep vein thrombosis? A previous case of deep vein thrombosis. That’ll be Victor next season, and every season for the rest of his life. What’s the right number of flights for a guy like that?