Thunder star Chet Holmgren credits Sixers big men for Welcome to NBA moment

Posted by Admin August 27, 2024 NBA

Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren is one of the rising stars in the league. He averaged 16.5 points and 7.9 rebounds along with 2.3 blocks and 2.4 assists which likely would have won Rookie of the Year if it weren’t for San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama.

However, despite Holmgren’s success, he still has his “Welcome to the NBA” moments and he got them from two Philadelphia 76ers big men. His first moment came from Andre Drummond who was still a member of the Chicago Bulls at the time.

Holmgren described the moment on “Podcast P with Paul George”:

My Welcome to the NBA moment in the game was I got stripped by Drummond, and then he made me fall on the fast break. I got asked about it being my Welcome to the NBA moment. I didn’t want to say yes, but like, now looking back, it’s like, it’s kind of funny now, damn bro.

Then, there was Joel Embiid. Before Holmgren got hurt and had to miss the entire 2022-23 season–which would have been his rookie season–he played some pickup with Embiid. Holmgren was having success against Embiid. Then, trainer Drew Hanlen was talking some trash to the big fella about letting Holmgren have so much success and Embiid put the then-rookie in the blender.

Holmgren stated:

Before I got hurt, I was playing pickup. I was playing against JoJo, your new teammate. He wasn’t, like, disrespecting me, but he was bullying me. I was making shots and then made a game winner, and then Drew was talking (expletive) to him, ‘You let a rookie, blah, blah, blah, and then he just came out, and the (expletive) just like, nine straight buckets, like, this (expletive), we played 1-on-1 in the middle of a pickup game. Like, he put eight people on the other side of the floor and was like ‘You’re not allowed to double.’ So we played 1-on-1. People always be like, ‘He’s not gonna be able to guard Embiid’. Like (expletive) nobody, guards him 1-on-1. That’s why you don’t see nobody (expletive) guarding him 1-on-1. He sees double teams every night.

Holmgren will go on to have a fantastic NBA career just as Embiid and Drummond are currently having. The young star out of Gonzaga will just have to continue to grow as a player and put in the same work they have in order to do so.