Perhaps one of the most contrived rivalries of last season was the one between Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama and runner-up Chet Holmgren. Both are long, lanky, and energetic players who will undoubtedly dominate the big-man landscape for years to come. Each Spurs-Thunder matchup was highly anticipated, attracting a large crowd eager to see the two young unicorns in action. However, as intense as those bouts were, it appeared that fans and the media wanted to add to the burgeoning on-court rivalry by claiming there was a “beef” between the two players.
Now Holmgren is amending the record. On Paul George’s podcast, he was asked where their drive and enthusiasm came from when competing against each other. While Holmgren noted that the two had battled one other on the world stage before joining the NBA and that they are both competitors, he has only met Wemby in person and defines a “beef” as a fight between people who have serious issues with each other. This is not the case for Holmgren and Wemby (yet).
He also discussed other topics, such as the Rookie of the Year race, and refuted critics who claimed he was not a rookie (he missed the entire 2022-23 season due to a leg injury), arguing that if you play in your first NBA game, you are considered a rookie. Even still, he thought Wemby was deserving (so no beef). He understood from playing against Wemby that confronting someone who is 7’5″ is different than confronting someone who is 6’9″. Therefore, required alterations must be made. You can see the entire interview below. His piece on Wemby starts at 29:00, and the meat portion comes at 32:06.
Even if there is no “beef” between Holmgren and Wembanyama, this does not rule out fierce competition in the future, and not just between them. Despite being a year or two behind the Thunder in their rebuilding efforts, the Spurs are projected to challenge for titles in the future. This renews a brief but heated rivalry from the 2010s, when the Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook Thunder faced The Big Three plus Kawhi Leonard three times. In 2014, the Spurs won a nail-biting Game 6 to progress to the Finals and capture their sixth championship.
With the Thunder’s core of Holmgren, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Jalen Williams largely set, a Spurs core led by Wemby, Devin Vassell, and another player yet to be named or discovered wants to join them at the top of the Western Conference standings soon. When that day comes, the Spurs-Thunder rivalry will restart.
