For NBA fans, the term “deep vein thrombosis” (DVT) has become more than just medical jargon — it is a stark reminder of the physical toll professional athletes face.

In the past year, the league has been shaken by the diagnoses of three prominent superstars with severe blood clot disorders. Recently, two players — Damian Lillard, the electrifying playmaker for the Milwaukee Bucks, and Victor Wembanyama, the towering sensation on the San Antonio Spurs — have been sidelined for the remainder of the regular season.

Lillard is dealing with a blood clot in his lower right leg, while Wembanyama has a clot in his right shoulder.

DVT has also ended the careers of NBA players. Hall of Fame forward Chris Bosh’s career was cut short in 2016 at the age of 32 when he was diagnosed with clots that traveled to his lungs. He missed the final months of the 2014-15 season and was limited to just 53 games in the 2015-16 season. He was ultimately forced to retire in 2019.

While no one is immune to blood clots, including top NBA athletes with access to the best medical teams and dietitians in the world, players like Lillard, Wembanyama, and Bosh share a common risk factor — they are African American.

Research shows that African Americans face a 30% to 60% higher risk of developing deep vein thrombosis compared to their white counterparts.

While about 900,000 Americans develop a blood clot each year, African Americans are three times more likely than white individuals to experience a fatal pulmonary embolism outside of a hospital. They tend to be younger, too: Deadly pulmonary embolisms occur in Black individuals on average nine years earlier, compared to whites.

DVT is a blood clot in one of the body’s deep veins. It occurs most commonly in the legs, but it can also occur in areas like the upper arm and shoulder, as with Wembanyama. The condition often presents with symptoms such as pain, swelling, or warmth in the affected area, but it can sometimes occur without noticeable symptoms. If left untreated, blood clots in the veins can travel to the lungs, resulting in a pulmonary embolism, while clots in the arteries can reach the brain and lead to a stroke.

In the United States, DVT is responsible for approximately 100,000 deaths each year. Clots often go undetected until an ultrasound is performed to check for them.

Why the racial disparity?

Why are Black people more susceptible to deep vein thrombosis (DVT) than other races?

Family history and certain diseases that predominantly affect individuals of African ancestry, such as sickle cell disease, can raise the risk of blood clots. African Americans are also more likely than white individuals to have risk factors like diabetes, obesity, and chronic kidney disease, according to the National Blood Clot Alliance.

Structural racism also plays a role. Black Americans often receive fewer life-saving treatments for blood clots and may be less likely to be admitted to the hospital in serious conditions compared to white individuals.

Additionally, smoking and surgery can contribute to the higher incidence of DVT among Black individuals. While smoking rates among Black individuals are similar to those of other racial groups, they are more likely to die from tobacco-related causes and they have higher rates of exposure to secondhand smoke, including among children.

Surgery, including C-sections, also increases the risk of developing a blood clot, with Black individuals having the highest risk of DVT after surgery, followed by whites, Hispanics, and Asian Americans. The pattern may be related to worse post-operative care and fewer follow-ups among Black patients.

Black communities also face significant barriers to health care, including lower rates of health insurance and worse access to health care facilities. These challenges lead to reduced access to preventive care and treatment, resulting in delays in diagnosis and care.

Consequently, patients of color may receive less aggressive treatment and monitoring, which adversely affects the management of conditions such as anticoagulation therapy, according to a 2024 study.

For journalists covering public health, stories of DVT in the NBA have given us an opening to talk about the disparities in health outcomes of Blacks compared to other races.

It’s also vital for journalists to encourage people suffering from DVT to share their stories, since the heightened awareness they generate can potentially save someone’s life.

Often, these stories share the short, simple steps people took to save their lives. The National Blood Clot Alliance has begun collecting such stories, hoping people won’t ignore the warning signs.

They include the story of Egypt, a Black woman living in Manhattan. She needed to rest after climbing five flights of stairs to a friend’s apartment. It took her almost 15 minutes to regain control of her breathing.

Egypt could have dismissed this experience as merely a sign of carrying a few extra pounds and being out of shape. But a few days later, she noticed that her lower right leg began to swell during her work shift. “I noticed it through my jeans. My skin became warm to the touch and sore, and it became difficult to walk,” she writes.

“Luckily, I work in a hospital 20 steps from the emergency room. At the end of my shift, I decided to get checked out. A half hour later, I had multiple doctors surrounding me, saying I had done the right thing by coming in when I did.”

She was diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and blood clots in both lungs. Seeking medical attention potentially saved her life since multiple blood clots had broken off from her calf and traveled up to her lungs.

“My clots were unprovoked. I was told that if a second episode occurred, I could be placed on anticoagulants for life,” she explained. “I decided not to live with the fear of recurrence but to live every day freely, with love and intent.”

Sharing these stories can make a difference.