The Oklahoma City Thunder and San Antonio Spurs played four times during the 2023-24 NBA regular season. But more than the Thunder's 3-1 series win, it was the matchup between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama in three of those games that caught the public's attention.
That's because the two young seven-footers went at each other in those games as if they were playing in the NBA Finals. Looking back, it seemed like both had something to prove to the other, like they were having some kind of beef.
During his latest appearance on Paul George's Podcast P, OKC's Holmgren responded to the rumors and called the alleged Wemby beef cap.
"I would just say us being competitors," said Holmgren. "We played each other even before the NBA. People be like'Y'all got beef' I'm like 'beef?' We're out there competing. But beef? Like beef means when I see you, like we're fighting. You know what I mean? Why do I have to beef with him?"
The rivalry began before they played in the NBA
They played like that against each other because it was like a continuation of their first showdown at the 2021 FIBA U-19 World Cup. In that tournament, Team USA defeated France 83-81 in the gold medal game. Chet was named tournament MVP, but Wemby had a fantastic championship game with 22 points and 8 rebounds versus Holmgren's 10 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists.
The following year, the Thunder drafted Holmgren second overall. However, he missed his rookie season with a foot injury. So, after Wemby was picked first overall in 2023, they were expected to go head-to-head in the Rookie of the Year race. Victor won the award via landslide, but many felt Chet equally deserved it because of the role he played on the best team in the Western Conference. That fueled further the beef rumors.
"I honestly don't even know the guy," added Chet. "We just play basketball against each other. As competitors, neither one of us wants to lose. And neither of us wants to just let the other person get a bucket or anything. So we're always gonna compete. And if people take it as we got beef, those people don't really understand competing, I guess."
The next big man rivalry in the NBA
Well, fans will get to see more of Chet and Wemby compete against each other again next season. According to the 2024-25 league schedule, which the NBA released last week, the Thunder and Spurs will face each other three times during the regular season.
Their first meeting will be on October 30 in Oklahoma City, while their November 19 game will be played in San Antonio. The Spurs will host the Thunder again in their final regular-season meeting on March 2, 2025. Of course, it would be a treat if both their teams made the postseason and played against each other in the playoffs, but that's another story.
The NBA's history is rich with big-man rivalries. We saw Russell vs. Wilt, Kareem vs. Parish, Olajuwon vs. Ewing, and Shaq vs. David Robinson, among others. With how it started last season, it looks like the next one is Chet versus Wemby, and it's only starting to get interesting.
Related: Chet Holmgren gets real about his ROTY race with Victor Wembanyama: “The voting is in the eye of the beholder”
Local Oklahoma City, OK
Most Popular
Comments / 0