The 2024 Rookie of the Year race between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren was one of the most intriguing affairs during the 2023-24 season. Unsurprisingly, many in the NBA world have dubbed the two big men as future rivals in the league. On Paul George’s Podcast P, Holmgren declared that he doesn’t see Wembanyama as his rival.
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The 22-year-old pointed out that he doesn’t view NBA fixtures as merely 1v1 battles. Instead of focusing on individual match-ups, he intends to do things that would help his team win the ball game.
However, Holmgren admitted that going up against an elite player like Wembanyama involves a lot of competitive fervor. But at the same time, he would not alter his style of basketball just because he is going up against Wemby and his Spurs.
Overall, he doesn’t consider the Spurs superstar as his rival. Instead, the OKC star approaches his match-up against him like he’d against any other elite athlete.
“I don’t want to go into any match-up and try to make it about what it isn’t. It’s about trying to win the basketball game. I don’t want to fall into the trap of turning something into a one-on-one game,” Chet told PG and his podcast crew.
“Obviously, there is a lot of competitive juice. Anytime you are going up against a really good player… But you know I wasn’t kind of changing plan just because we got the Spurs on the schedule,” he added.
Later, George recalled how Holmgren and Wembanyama were engaged in a heated battle before their NBA days during the 2021 FIBA Under-19 World Cup Final. He wondered if this match-up paved the way for their NBA rivalry.
The Thunder forward clarified that they weren’t going up against each other because they were seeking a rivalry. He reiterated that such match-ups often unleash a lot of untapped energy but it doesn’t mean that he would pinpoint the match-up against Wembanyama as something special.
When two forces like him and Wemby collide, we are bound to see a heated battle. But it doesn’t imply that the two resent each other.
“People would be like ‘Y’all got beef?’. I’m like, ‘Beef?’ We’re out there competing, but beef means when I see you we are fighting… As competitors neither of us want to lose and neither of us want to let the person get a bucket or anything. We are always competing and people always take it as we got beef.”
“Those people don’t understanding competing,” Holmgren added
At any rate, while the 22-year-old may deny it, most NBA fans would view their match-up as rivalry games. It spices up the whole narrative while inserting an enthralling plot into the storyline. The NBA world will be blessed if these two end up squaring off in the NBA playoffs soon.
