In a thrilling preseason matchup between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs, fans were treated to a showdown between two of the most promising NBA prospects—Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama.
The game ended with a nail-biting victory for the Thunder, who claimed a 122-121 win.
Despite being drafted as the No. 2 pick in the NBA draft a year ago, Holmgren, 21, technically made his rookie debut in this game, having missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a Lisfranc injury.
Holmgren showcased his skills on the court, scoring a game-high 21 points and grabbing nine rebounds in just 16 minutes of play.
On the other side, 19-year-old Victor Wembanyama, this year’s No. 1 pick, put on an impressive performance, contributing 20 points and securing five rebounds during his 19 minutes on the court.
Following the exciting showdown, Holmgren expressed his excitement about the future battles between him and Wembanyama.
“It’s really cool to see players from across the world be connected to the NBA. And I plan to play a long time, I’m sure he does too, so there’ll be no choice but to go back and forth, so I’m excited,” Holmgren said, via ClutchPoints.
Holmgren also emphasized the importance of team play over individual matchups: “That’s something that you can really get baited into. It tends to happen to young players sometimes. But I feel like Vic and myself did a really good job of understanding that it’s not the Chet versus Vic show. This is the Thunder versus Spurs.”
This showdown between Holmgren and Wembanyama is not the first time these two rising stars have crossed paths. They previously battled at the 2021 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup in Latvia, where they faced off in a thrilling final.
The United States, led by Holmgren, narrowly defeated France, with a final score of 83-81, and Holmgren was named the MVP of the tournament.
