What recent health scares among elite athletes reveal about early warning signs, dangerous complications, and the road to recovery.
A swollen arm after a workout. A nagging calf problem. A medical test that uncovers something unexpected. Over the past five years, blood clots have interrupted the careers of some of the world’s fittest competitors—and offered a sobering reminder: Athletic conditioning does not guarantee protection from a potentially life-threatening clot.
Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) describes a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in a leg but sometimes in an arm. If part of the clot breaks loose and travels to the lungs, it can cause a pulmonary embolism (PE). Together, these conditions are called venous thromboembolism (VTE).
Several recent sports stories illustrate how differently blood clots can begin—and how important the next steps can be.
A Calf Injury That Became a Bigger Concern
In October 2026, Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts reported calf trouble after being struck by a cleat during a game. An ultrasound in London identified a superficial vein thrombosis—a clot in a vein close to the skin.
Following additional testing, the Eagles announced a more serious diagnosis: DVT and bilateral pulmonary emboli, meaning blood clots affecting both lungs.
The team reported that Hurts was clinically stable and expected to recover, but anticoagulant medication would keep him out of contact football, likely for the remainder of the season.
His case highlights why reassessment matters. A superficial clot is not the same as DVT, but the conditions can coexist or involve connected veins. Persistent or changing symptoms warrant further medical evaluation.
Warning Signs Can Resemble Ordinary Sports Injuries
Milwaukee Bucks star Damian Lillard missed games in March 2025 with what was initially described as a calf strain. Physicians subsequently identified DVT in his right calf.
Blood-thinning treatment stabilized the clot, and by April 17, the Bucks reported that it had resolved. Lillard discontinued anticoagulants under a specialist-supervised treatment protocol and received clearance for basketball activities. His relatively rapid recovery was encouraging, although other patients should not expect the same timeline.
For Olympic gold medalist and professional golfer Nelly Korda, the warning was swelling in her left arm following a routine workout in March 2022.
She contacted her physician, who advised emergency evaluation. Doctors discovered a clot in her subclavian vein, located beneath the collarbone. Korda underwent surgery, completed rehabilitation, and returned to competition at the U.S. Women’s Open that June.
Her experience demonstrates that dangerous clots are not confined to the legs—and that unexplained swelling following exercise is not necessarily ordinary muscle fatigue.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama also experienced an upper-body DVT, diagnosed in his right shoulder after the February 2025 NBA All-Star break.
Reports described an unusual sensation in his arm, although the team did not disclose a definitive cause. The Spurs ended his season while he received treatment. By April, he was cautiously resuming weightlifting and basketball activity, although he had not yet received clearance for contact play.
When Clots Reach the Lungs
In November 2023, Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Frederik Andersen was sidelined after medical evaluations revealed DVT and subsequent pulmonary embolisms.
He received anticoagulant therapy and followed a gradual recovery program involving off-ice workouts, limited on-ice conditioning, and eventually competitive play in March 2024.
His experience illustrates both the seriousness of a pulmonary embolism and the distinction between feeling well enough to exercise and being medically cleared for competition.
New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots in July 2024.
Following treatment, he returned to football that November. However, symptoms recurred, and his season ended after just four games. He subsequently received clearance to resume football activities in 2025.
Importantly, recurrent symptoms do not automatically establish that another clot has formed. They do, however, signal the need for medical reassessment.
Detroit Pistons forward Ausar Thompson offers another example of diagnostic uncertainty. He initially missed games attributed to asthma before the team announced a blood clot in March 2024. The team did not establish publicly whether the earlier symptoms were related or specify the clot’s location.
Thompson received clearance for full basketball activities that November.
Lessons Beyond the Playing Field
Despite differences in their experiences, these athletes’ stories share several important patterns: Initial symptoms may resemble relatively minor conditions, diagnostic testing can reveal more serious problems, and recovery may continue long after a person begins feeling better.
Physicians commonly use duplex ultrasound to detect DVT and CT pulmonary angiography to identify pulmonary emboli. Blood thinners help prevent clot growth and additional clotting events, although they increase bleeding risk, which is why contact sports are generally restricted during treatment.
Injury, surgery, prolonged immobility, and extended travel can contribute to clotting risk, although these factors should not automatically be assumed to have caused an individual athlete’s condition. Elite athletes, as a group, are not necessarily at greater risk than the general population.
For patients, the message is not to fear every ache. Instead, recognize warning signs such as unexplained swelling, pain, warmth, or discoloration in one arm or leg, and seek prompt medical assessment. DVT can also occur without obvious symptoms.
Sudden shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, or coughing up blood demands emergency medical attention. A pulmonary embolism can develop even without noticeable symptoms in the legs.
Ultimately, the most important victory in these athletes’ stories was not returning to competition. It was obtaining a diagnosis, receiving appropriate treatment, and allowing medical recovery to determine when it was safe to return.
