Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram needs to be careful of his blood clot issue before deciding on when to make his NBA return. Brandon Ingram #14 and JaVale McGee #7 of the Los Angeles Lakers react after a timeout trailing the Philadelphia 76ers during a 121-105 76ers win at Staples Center on January 29, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images/Harry How

Brandon Ingram unceremoniously saw his NBA season come to an end after it was found that he had a blood clot in his arm. The Los Angeles Lakers medical team diagnosed him with Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) and it remains unknown for now how long the 21-year-old can bounce back from this unfortunate setback.

For the Lakers, the timing could not have come at a worse time. Ingram was one of the bright spots for the purple and gold even if he was among the players Los Angeles dangled to the New Orleans Pelicans for Anthony Davis.

As mentioned in a previous post, Ingram still went all out after that tirade even if the Lakers had little to no chance of making it to the playoffs. That was before the blood clot issue came out in the open.

As explained in a report by Complex, DVT occurs when a person has a blood clot in a vein far away from the surface of a person's skin. Typically these clots form within the legs and are discovered once people experience aching in the affected area. They are often misdiagnosed in athletes because aching and soreness are typical when playing a sport regularly at a high level.

But the real issue here is the clot may break loose and travel through the body. It can eventually block critical veins in the lungs of a person.

Each time blood clot issues are mentioned, one can only recall the case of Chris Bosh. He had similar clots in his legs and this eventually forced him to sit out the 2016 NBA season. Despite getting treatment, repeatedly failing physicals led to the untimely retirement of the two-time NBA champion.

This is not to pre-empt that Ingram may follow the same route. Rather, it is more of a wakeup call that the Lakers and Ingram will need to be careful in the medication process. At 21, Ingram does have a promising career ahead and can flourish if he returns at the right time.

There is no word yet on the severity of his condition and how long he would be out of NBA action. There are athletes who overcame blood clot-related issues like fellow NBA player Anderson Varejao and tennis star Serena Williams, Basketball Insiders reported.

Hence, Ingram's case needs to be approached carefully -- even if it means staying out of basketball for quite some time.

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