Victor Wembanyama’s season-ending injury means one NBA star might be due a historic pay rise.
The 21-year-old was the clear front-runner for the coveted Defensive Player of the Year award but his early end to the season means there is a new favourite and the stakes are massive.
The San Antonio Spurs sent shock waves around the league when they unexpectedly announced that Wembanyama’s NBA season was over.
The Spurs said that this was the result of a blood clot, which was discovered after the Frenchman returned to San Antonio after the NBA All-Star Game.
The condition is typically treated with blood-thinning medication, which stops a player from temporarily playing in contact sports such as basketball.
San Antonio have said they expect Wembanyama to be fully recovered by the start of the 2025-26 season and acting head coach Mitch Johnson has spoken on the news.
“The medical experts and the people that are smarter than everybody in the room have said and confirm that he’ll be done this year and there is no concern for Victor’s long-term health,” Johnson said.
Wembanyama was enjoying a fine second NBA season before his injury and was on course to pick up some awards.
The reigning Rookie of the Year and a first-time NBA All-Star was averaging 24.3 points, 11.0 rebounds, 3.7 assists and a league-leading 3.8 blocks in 46 games.
Although Wembanyama’s end to the season means he will not win the Defensive Player of the Year award, which he was the favourite for, because he did not meet the 65-game minimum.
The controversial 65-game rule was introduced ahead of the 2023-24 and means players are not eligible for any awards unless they play 65 regular season matches.
This now means Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr is the new front runner who holds a slight edge over Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley.
Jackson has already won DPOTY in 2023 and winning it again now makes him eligible for a super-max contract extension this summer for five years at $345million.
Should Jackson sign that contract, it would be the biggest ever NBA contract in history, topping Jayson Tatum‘s current $314m deal and is the same figure Luka Doncic was eligible for before the Mavericks traded him.
Jackson was just named an All Star for the second time in his career and is enjoying a strong season, averaging 22.9 points per game – a career-high.
The 25-year-old’s current deal comes to an end this year after he signed a four-year $105m deal with the Grizzlies in 2021, something that was undervalued at the time because he played just 11 games the season prior.
A renegotiation clause kicks in for the Grizzlies and Jackson this year, meaning a pay-rise is due for the forward regardless of what happens.
Although, through either becoming an All-NBA player or winning DPOTY, Jackson will be hoping that historic super-max deal is the contract that comes his way this summer.
