These 2024-25 All-Defensive Team candidates were teenage teammates

Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis is one of the few high schools worldwide whose alums include two active NBA players .

Even more impressively, these two Minnehaha ballers—Oklahoma City Thunder center Chet Holmgren and Orlando Magic guard Jalen Suggs—are among the league's best defenders and are leading candidates for the All-Defensive Team in the 2024-25 campaign.

Last season, Suggs beat out Holmgren for a spot on the All-Defensive Second Team.

The Magic guard, known for the suffocating pressure he enforces on ball handlers, got 99 votes. Holmgren, who in his first year as a pro proved to be an elite shot blocker, got 21 votes.

Chet and Suggs' high school team was "so unfair!"

As teammates at Minnehaha Academy, Holmgren and Suggs were part of a strong defensive squad that won three consecutive state titles. Their domination was not limited to the defensive end.

A clip posted by the YouTube user @Ballislife20 shows the Minnehaha stars flying high for explosive dunks, swatting shots in mid-air, and scoring at will. The clip is aptly titled: "Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs in high school was so unfair!"

At the college level, both players were one-and-done at Gonzaga. Suggs, a year older than Chet, helped Gonzaga recruit Holmgren .

The Orlando Magic selected Suggs fifth in the 2021 NBA draft, while Holmgren entered the draft a year later and was selected second by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Minnehaha bond

The two are now rising talents in the league. They play on opposing teams and will compete in the upcoming season for a spot on the NBA's All-Defensive Team. But thanks to their time as teammates in high school, Suggs and Holmgren have remained close and talk constantly in a group chat with other friends.

When Holmgren started shining last season, Suggs was among the first to give him his flowers.

"I knew Chet was a great player," Suggs said . "I've known that and have always seen it. To see him strive and flourish on this level this year after being out all last year is a blessing. I'm happy for him."

Orlando's sole visit to OKC on Jan. 13, 2024, was the first time Suggs and Holmgren played against each other. After the game, they swapped jerseys and celebrated their unbreakable Minnehaha bond.

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