Indefinite hiatus! Wizards officially announce Whitmore diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis; VanVleet missed last season due to the same condition.

On December 24th Beijing time, the Wizards officially revealed that wing-forward Whitmore has been diagnosed with upper limb deep vein thrombosis. He previously missed two games due to right shoulder soreness and underwent thorough examinations afterward. Whitmore is expected to be sidelined indefinitely. The team will closely monitor his recovery and update his playing status as appropriate. Last season, Spurs star VanVleet was ruled out for the season due to a similar right shoulder deep vein thrombosis diagnosis.

Since December 5th, Whitmore has not appeared in any games, missing the Wizards’ last six contests. He was initially designated as a “coach’s decision” for four consecutive games, then added to the injury report for two games due to right shoulder pain. Further examination of his sore shoulder led to the diagnosis of thrombosis.

Whitmore declared for the draft after one season at Villanova University in 2022-23. Once considered a potential top-five pick in the 2023 draft, he ultimately slipped to the 20th selection, chosen by the Rockets. During two seasons with Houston, he mainly came off the bench with limited minutes but showed promising scoring ability—averaging 17.4 minutes per game, 10.8 points, shooting 44.9% from the field, 35.7% from three-point range, and 70.7% from the free-throw line.

Deemed not part of the Rockets’ long-term plans, Whitmore was traded to the Wizards during the 2025 offseason in exchange for two second-round draft picks. In his first 21 games with Washington, he averaged 9.2 points per game, shooting 45.6% overall, 28.6% from three, and 74.2% from the free-throw line.

After Whitmore was benched for the first time on December 7th, head coach Brian Keefe told reporters that the 21-year-old was sidelined for failing to meet “certain internal team standards.” Later reports suggested that a lackadaisical training attitude contributed to his benching. However, Keefe later retracted these comments, explaining that removing Whitmore from the rotation was intended to give other players more playing time.

Shams’ report confirmed this narrative, stating that in recent weeks Whitmore has begun “working closely with Keefe” as part of a “personal development plan.”

At present, although this development plan must be temporarily paused, there is no indication that the thrombosis will threaten Whitmore’s professional career. Current NBA players like VanVleet, Ingram, and Osar-Thompson have all faced similar conditions and have fully recovered to return to the court.