NBA Rising Star Chet Holmgren Clarifies Controversial Miami Comment

So much for the well-deserved animus between Chet Holmgren and Miami Heat fans. After he went semi-viral for comments about the notoriously late-arriving crowd in South Beach, the Oklahoma City Thunder rising star forcefully pushed back on that narrative, insisting his remarks were taken out of context.

"Y’all get mad when NBA players never have anything to say to [the] media, but then chop our quotes up to get reactions," Holmgren wrote Thursday on X (formerly Twitter). "I was saying the seats [are] empty until the 4th quarter when fans come back from the lounges after a few drinks, and the atmosphere is great for close games. It's actually a compliment," he added.

The tape doesn't lie.

Asked on the Road Trippin' podcast about his favorite road arenas to play in, Holmgren indeed said he likes the Kaseya Center because it's "like, empty" and "quiet." However, as hosts Allie Clifton, Richard Jefferson, and Channing Frye laugh at his appraisal of Miami's home court, Holmgren quickly clarifies his thoughts.

"No, no, no. Let me get to it!" he says, through interruptions. "And then the fourth quarter rolls around, and it's like a drunk. It gets wild."

No one who's paid attention to Heat home games over the past decade-plus—even during the LeBron James era—would disagree with Holmgren's appraisal of the Miami crowd. The stands at Kaseya Center really do fill up for the fourth quarter of close games, transforming the venue into one of the league's toughest places to play.

It's safe to say Heat fans won't take the nuance of Holmgren's full comments into account the next time Oklahoma City hits South Beach, though. He's bound to receive widespread boos at Kaseya Center going forward—and don't be surprised if more Heat fans than normal are in their seats early to jeer Holmgren at tipoff.

Related: One NBA Fanbase On Receiving End Of Sudden Chet Holmgren Roast