6'11" NBA legend warns Victor Wembanyama of long-term risks for 7-footers' body conditioning after recent injury

NBA legend John Salley warned Victor Wembanyama of the cons of being a 7-footer. Salley recently unveiled a scary truth regarding basketball giants. The former power forward explained how most 7-footers die when they reach the age of 60.

Salley then backed up his statements with some facts. He brought up how 11 former NBA players standing at his height of 6'11" or higher died in 2016. Basketball legend Moses Malone was one of those 11 players.

"At the age of 60, most seven-footers die, most NBA players," Salley said. "Like, in 2016, 11 of us died. Wow, wow. Moses Malone being one of them." (timestamp 38:26)

Given these factors, John Salley gave a warning to Victor Wembanyama, especially after he was sidelined for the remainder of the season due to a blood clot in his right shoulder. Salley explained how the late Wilt Chamberlain had a similar issue but on his hip. Chamberlain passed away in his sleep.

"Wilt Chamberlain didn't wake up, you know," Salley continued. "He had the same thing that... uh, how do you say the boy's name in San Antonio? Victor? Yeah, but he had it in his hip, and I think I have it up here too. It's just... when your vein, you know, when you lift your arm, you're already dumping blood."

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Victor Wembanyama expected to miss rest of the season

Victor Wembanyama has suffered from an unfortunate injury after the 2025 NBA All-Star weekend. When Wembanyama flew back to San Antonio, the team's medical staff found out that he had a problem in his right shoulder. Reportedly, there was a blood clot in that area and the towering Frenchman was diagnosed with a deep vein thrombosis.

“His arm didn’t feel completely normal,” Spurs interim head coach Mitch Johnson explained. "It was our medical staff. They looked into it, and that's how we got here."

At the time of writing, there are no updates regarding Victor Wembanyama's recovery phase. Sources reported that the team is actively looking for treatment options. With that in mind, we're also not entirely sure if Wemby can make his return by next season. The severity of his deep vein thrombosis is yet to be revealed.

In the meantime, San Antonio Spurs fans shouldn't expect to make this year's NBA Play-In Tournament. The Spurs are in 13th place in the Western Conference with a 24-33 record. With the season rapidly approaching its conclusion, it's nearly impossible for them to make a comeback.