Inside The Heat

Oklahoma City Thunder Star Chet Holmgren Takes Shot At Late-Arriving Miami Heat Crowd

Shandel Richardson

May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) during the first quarter in game six of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots over Dallas Mavericks center Daniel Gafford (21) during the first quarter in game six of the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Expect Oklahoma City Thunder star Chet Holmgren to receive plenty boos when he plays at Kaseya Center this season.

Holmgren, who finished second in the Rookie of the Year voting to Victor Wembanyama last season, appeared to take a subtle shot at the Heat fan base. Duringa recent appearance on the Road Trippin podcast, he said the arena for Heat games are basically "empty."


“I like Miami, because it’s just like empty," Holmgren said "… As the away team you just got to build that lead in the first three quarters and then it just stays quiet for the fourth.”

This is the second time a player has challenged the Heat fan base during the summer. Last month Heat star Jimmy Butler addressed it in an interview with Complex.

"The worst part, to me, our fans never show up on time," Butler said. "They never show up on time. I was like, `Damn, I want it to be rocking from like from the jump ball. Fans, come one, we need y'all."'

This criticism is nothing new for Heat fans. They have taken it since the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh days. The lower bowl usually fills in at some point during the first half but it takes a little longer than most arenas.

Part of it is traffic. Part of it is just folks being late. Regardless, the Heat fans always show up to support their team.

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Inside The Heat. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com

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Shandel Richardson
SHANDEL RICHARDSON

Shandel has covered the NBA since 2010, with previous stops at The Athletic and South Florida Sun-Sentinel.  He has covered six NBA Finals, one Super Bowl, the NCAA basketball tournament. He has also been a beat writer for the Miami Hurricanes and contributed on every major beat in South Florida since 2003, including the Miami Dolphins and Miami Marlins. He can also be read in the Sportsbook Review for gambling coverage from around the NBA. A native of Bloomington, Illinois, Shandel attended Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. He's also worked for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star.  TWITTER: @ShandelRich EMAIL: shandelrich@gmail.com You can subscribe to our YouTube channel here Follow all of our Miami Heat coverage on Facebook here