DMV native and Washington Wizards forward Cam Whitmore opens up on his road to recovery after suffering season-ending deep vein thrombosis
Availability became a consistent question mark for the Washington Wizards through the season as head coach Brian Keefe leaned on several new faces toward the end of 2025-26. Yet one constant on the injury report over the final three months of the regular season was the absence of Cam Whitmore after noticing his injury during shoot around on Dec. 20 before the team ruled him out for the remainder of 2025-26 due to deep vein thrombosis.
The Odenton, Md. native and Archbishop Spalding product became an exciting offseason acquisition for the Wizards after being part of a three-team trade that sent Whitmore from the Houston Rockets to Washington ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Whitmore's first season with the organization would be cut short after averaging 9.2 points and 2.8 rebounds in 21 games, a deflating year one for the 21 year old local product.
The injury announcement also came after Whitmore fell out of the wing rotation in what became a growing discussion among Wizards fans with head coach Brian Keefe and team, at one point, having to dispute questions about work ethic amid dwindling playing time. Yet the season-ending injury proved to be a different type of obstacle for Whitmore to overcome, but he opened up on the support he received from his teammates and coaches through the process with text and video messages ahead of surgery.
"Some teammates came to visit me in the hospital, coaches, coaching staff, even the front office. So, everybody was there. I felt love from afar even when I wasn’t in the building, but when I came back everybody welcomed me with open arms so I was really grateful for that,” he told Monumental Sports Network.
Whitmore admitted the road to recovery was a tough hurdle after also leaning on his parents through three surgeries. Whitmore admitted he also feels "fine now" as he prepares to become an impact piece at the wing, which will once again feature several marquee players with Will Riley and Bilal Coulibaly both looking to take the next step in the rotation.
Yet for Whitmore, who admitted he's "just grateful to be alive," finding his role within head coach Brian Keefe's system will be the next focus on becoming an impact piece for his hometown franchise.
“This is a perfect opportunity for me to turn things around," Whitmore added. We’re going to see what it’s going to look like come next season."