For many fans, Wembanyama represents a path to redemption after enduring years of mediocrity. The idea that their hopes could be dashed by a single injury triggers feelings of despair akin to loss.

I know loss, I feel it at the edges of my life. It’s an absence that cannot be quantified, a lack of presence in the family ...

Though I’ve known about my sister’s death since childhood, I’ve only recently come to terms with how a part of me is missing ...