Chet Holmgren Shuts Down Victor Wembanyama Rivalry

Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren shut down talk of a rivalry with Victor Wembanyama.

May 7, 2024; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) celebrates after a basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half of game one of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images / Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

The Oklahoma City Thunder took on the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday, which means the NBA advertised another rendition of Chet Holmgren taking on Victor Wembanyama.

The two "unicorn" 7-footers with incredible skill -- who also happened to be selected with the top two picks in their respective drafts -- are natural rivals. The NBA will continue to push a rivalry, whether the two sides deny any rivalry or not.

After the 105-93 win, Holmgren talked about the rivalry with Wembanyama.

"No matter what, it's always going to be the Thunder versus our opponent," Holmgren claimed.

This is the same outlook any parties involved in the matchup take. It's the Thunder against the Spurs. Next time, it'll be the Thunder against another team. Marketing stars is how the league brings anticipation to fans, though, and Holmgren understands how the force-fed rivalry works.

“The NBA is a business. The league is built around players playing basketball. It’s about getting people to come and watch the games. That’s how they advertise those games. I just see it as a form of advertisement," Holmgren continued.

As mentioned, Holmgren isn't the only figure involved in this line of thinking. When speaking to the media before the game, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich gave a very similar answer.

"I give no thought to Chet versus Wemby," Popovich said. "That's not what this is about. It's the Spurs and it's the Thunder, and they play each other."

The two players are critical to their respective team's success. Holmgren got the better of Wembanyama and his team happened to come out on top.

The rivalry won't stop being pushed by the league. Given their archetype as players, they'll be compared by fans, too. While the players might not feel it as much, the fans and media will continually prop up the matchup with the two players at the forefront of the talking points.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Thunder on SI on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest Thunder news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.