OKC Thunder's Chet Holmgren Opens Up About Season-Ending Foot Injury in 2022

Chet Holmgren recently opened up about a foot injury that sidelined him for all of the 2022-23 season.

May 18, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) shoots as Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) defends / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Last year, Chet Holmgren had an outstanding rookie season for Oklahoma City.

After missing all of the Thunder's 2022-23 campaign with a foot injury suffered during a Pro Am game over the summer, Holmgren bounced back in 2023-24 and helped lead OKC to a 57-win season.

On a recent episode of "Podcast P", a show hosted by former Oklahoma City forward Paul George, Holmgren opened up about the injury that sidelined him for what should have been the Gonzaga product's rookie year.

"It was a bunch of All-Stars in the game, so I'm just, like, trying to hoop," Holmgren said. "I think I overdid it that summer, honestly, cause I was everywhere. I was in (Los Angeles) driving up to like, an hour and a half, one way just to go play pick up. ... I think I just overdid it. I don't think it's like an injury that happened because I overdid it. Like, it was a freak injury that just, you know, can't really control. Sometimes you take one wrong step.

I even told (Jamal Crawford) like, 'I'm beat from the workouts this week, I don't think I'm going to be able to play' and then just ignorance. I texted him like 15 minutes later like 'Save me a jersey, I'm pulling up to hoop.' I think everything happens for a reason too, like I wouldn't go back and change it either. I got so much better at a lot of different things the year I was hurt too. You know, I was able to learn so many things."

After returning from his injury, Holmgren managed to finish second place in Rookie of the Year voting behind Victor Wembanyama while averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.3 blocks per game.

Despite questions about the 7-footer's durability due to his foot injury and slender frame, Holmgren showcased impressive toughness in 2023-24 en route to playing all 82 regular season contests and every playoff game.

With another offseason at full health, Holmgren should be poised for an even better performance in his second year on the court.

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