Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren recently weighed in on his rivalry with a fellow stalwart from the same generation in the Western Conference. On Thursday, Dec. 18, Holmgren was interviewed by basketball analyst Malika Andrews, as seen in a clip posted by @nbaonespn on Instagram. Andrews asked Holmgren about San Antonio Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama.
This is because Holmgren and Wembanyama have been compared to each other their entire NBA careers, given that they are both gigantic centers who can stretch the floor with their three-level scoring, coupled with their towering defense, which is a rare archetype in the NBA. Holmgren has left it up to the media and onlookers to discuss their rivalry.
“ I don’t think it’s ever been up to players or teams to declare rivalries. So, you’re asking the wrong person,” Holmgren said.
“Chet Holmgren on whether he has a rivalry with Wemby 🤔,” @nbaonespn on Instagram captioned with an emoji.
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Holmgren is in his NBA championship defense season with coach Mark Daigneault’s Thunder in the 2025-26 campaign. It is technically his fourth year in the league after he was out for his entire rookie year with a foot injury. Wembanyama, on the other hand, is one of the favorites to win both the regular-season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards in just his third overall season.
Holmgren and the rest of his OKC squad are set to face Wembanyama and the rest of coach Mitch Johnson’s Spurs on Christmas at the former’s home arena, the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
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Chet Holmgren Says He and Victor Wembanyama Have Never Spoken To Each Other
In the same interview with Malika Andrews on ESPN, Chet Holmgren revealed that he has never had a full-blown conversation with Victor Wembanyama.
This is evident in the fact that the two big men opt to keep their games strictly business and less on the trash talk and scuffles.
“ Not a full sentence, I don’t think. But like, not in like a, don’t take that and run with it the wrong way, media. It was, I don’t know. Just never, yeah, never really crossed paths,” Holmgren said.
Also Read: Fans Express Unhappiness as Victor Wembanyama’s Time Restriction Harms Spurs’ Chances
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