A promising prospect sidelined by a serious diagnosis. Discover the unforeseen circumstances ending Cam Whitmore's season and his uncertain future.
Cam Whitmore will miss the remainder of the 2025-2026 season, the Wizards announced today.
Whitmore started his recovery process a diagnosed venous condition, which will keep him on the sideline through the rest of the regular season, the team said.
It becomes an unfortunate end to the season for Whitmore, who joined the organization as a buy-low, high-upside prospect. Whitmore, 21, noticed inconsistencies regarding his role in the rotation after playing 21 games. Washington acquired Whitmore from Houston for the low-price of two second-round picks in July, 2025.
Whitmore never saw the floor for over 29 minutes on any given night and saw his minutes decrease in the nights leading to him being benched. His benching before the injury became a controversial subject after Wizards head coach Brian Keefe told the media that he received a DNP against Atlanta on December 6th for failing to meet the team's standards.
After Whitmore's surprising DNP, RG’s Grant Afseth reported on Dec. 8 that Whitmore received an unexcused absence from practice, which the team confirmed was not the case.
The next week, Keefe told The Sports Junkies, a local sports radio show in Washington D.C., that Whitmore didn't play for non-disciplinary reasons.
“We were looking at different rotations…we hadn’t played well in a couple games before that,” he said. “We wanted to try something new. Nothing he did wrong himself, but he’s learning our system and how we do stuff. We wanted to give other guys a chance. Some of the other guys were playing well.”
During Whitmore's time off the floor, Justin Champagnie, Will Riley and Jamir Watkins saw increased roles. With Whitmore out due to the coach's decisions before injury, many questioned what it would take for him to return to lineup.
Whitmore was listed as questionable before the aforementioned game due to illness, but was later upgraded to available. Whitmore received four-straight DNP's before he was later ruled out with shoulder soreness. On December 23rd, the team ruled Whitmore out indefinitely with upper-extremity deep vein thrombosis in his right shoulder.
Whitmore's potential flashed on numerous occasions during his time on the court, including two 20-point performances off the bench. Washington picked up Whitmore's club-option for next year on October 29th, so he's under contract to return for the Wizards.
As Whitmore begins his recovery process, the team announced they'll provide updates when available.