Going at Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren drove to the rim. He planted his feet and went with the turnaround jumper. Let’s just say things didn’t go well. He had his shot loudly rejected. The play that has made the rounds on social media.
The Oklahoma City Thunder were on the wrong side of an upset 111-109 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the 2025 NBA Cup semifinals. The entire NBA world watched their franchise-best 16-game win streak snapped.
Considering the reactions online in the aftermath, the Thunder have become the NBA’s top villain — fair or not. It comes with the territory of all-time dominance. As they hope to reach 70-plus wins, every loss will be magnified as the rest of the league throws a party online, a la the Death Star being blown up at the end of the ‘Star Wars’ trilogy.
After a 12-game absence recovering from a calf strain, Wembanyama returned and ended up the main character. The Spurs threw a curveball that the Thunder whiffed on when he came off the bench for the first time in his career. San Antonio went with that move to ensure he’d play most of the second half.
The Las Vegas gamble paid off. As it was repeated ad nauseam, Wembanyama was a plus-21 in 21 minutes. He had 22 points and nine rebounds. In the latest chapter of his saga with Holmgren, he won on the court and talked a little smack off it — all while exposing just how one-sided that beef appears.
Peppered with questions by the national media, Wembanyama fed into the NBA storyline machine. A couple of not-so-subtle shots at the Thunder went viral on social media. From saying he loves to play ethical basketball to saying some guys aren’t built for the big moments.
Of course, Wembanyama has plausible deniability. He didn’t explicitly mention the Thunder or Holmgren in either comment. But let’s be for real, this isn’t a courtroom — that was totally a dig at OKC.
“It’s just incredible. I keep asking these guys for the last 12 games, just get better, do some beautiful things. And I just wanted to be a part of it. I’m glad that we can still do it when I’m here, I’m happy with that, of course,” Wembanyama said. “But I’m just glad to be a part of something that’s growing to be so beautiful. So pure and ethical basketball, you know.”
It doesn’t take much scrolling on social media to see how much other fanbases have antagonized OKC’s playstyle. Several tweets get thousands of likes that suggest they get away with physical contact on the defensive end, while Shai Gilgeous-Alexander constantly gets soft calls on the offensive end.
It reached a fever pitch over the weekend after the NBA world danced over OKC’s second loss of the season. To the point that Alex Caruso talked back.
And then there’s the lights-are-too-bright suggestion Wembanyama made. I’ll admit — this one is more of a reach.
Surely a basketball junkie like Wembanyama knows how important Holmgren was to OKC’s championship run last season. After all, he owns an NBA record for most blocks in a Game 7 of the NBA Finals with five in their win over the Indiana Pacers. That’s about as high-stakes as it gets.
But let’s roll back the tape to see Wembanyama celebrate Holmgren splitting a critical free-throw trip down the stretch as both sides resorted to the foul game in the final seconds.
Wembanyama squeezed the basketball and yelled at the crowd. The Spurs intentionally fouled up three points. The Thunder intentionally fouled to prolong the game and hopefully get lucky enough to have the ball down one possession in the final moments.
“Oh, yeah, this is not a regular game, this is not a typical regular-season game. Because we know that if we lose we’re out. Some people are built for these moments, some aren’t,” Wembanyama said. “But we definitely are, and it shows, because it’s not against anybody that we won that game. So it’s just, again, I feel lucky, I’m glad we have this group because everybody buys into this and everybody is built for these moments.”
Oh, and by the way, let’s not forget Wembanyama’s sit-down interview with Amazon Prime’s Taylor Rooks. He implied Holmgren gets to benefit from the attention Gilgeous-Alexander commands. That type of passive aggressiveness rubbed Dirk Nowitzki the wrong way.
“The reigning MVP is on that court, so he’s our main focus,” Wembanyama said. “Anybody is hard to guard when you have to help on the MVP.”
So, yeah, a lot happened between the Thunder and Spurs — both on and off the court. The Holmgren-Wembanyama comparisons are unavoidable. Both seven-foot players went top two in back-to-back NBA drafts. As long as both play, they’ll forever be tied at the hip. Did Holmgren have anything to say about Wembanyama?
Sure did. Let’s just say Holmgren went the courteous route instead of adding more fuel to the fire — which has been OKC’s M.O. for its entire existence when it comes to trivial distractions like rivalries.
“The game definitely changes anytime a very unique player comes into the game. He does things that other lineups don’t replicate,” Holmgren said. “Definitely changed the game. Changed how they play. Changed how we have to play them.”
Not to play armchair psychologist, but it’s notable how differently Wembanyama’s and Holmgren’s handled their rivalry questions. One seems to lean into it while the other extinguishes the storyline. No question that both are fiery competitors. So why would that be the case?
Let’s just say that there are hints of insecurity from Wembanyama’s side.
Insecure that Holmgren has a championship ring. And insecure that he will also likely get a Defensive Player of the Year trophy before himself. Maybe even one more ring. Something that everybody has felt like was going to be given for Wembanyama as soon as he suited up in the NBA.
And that’s perfectly fine. In fact, the NBA probably loves Wembanyama’s one-sided bickering with Holmgren. And hopes the other party joins in sooner or later. After all, NBA fans love its theatrics almost as much as it loves the actual games being played.
The Thunder and Spurs were rivals for most of the 2010s. Both were Western Conference powerhouses. It feels like we’re heading towards history repeating itself in the 2020s. OKC might be the reigning NBA champion, but Wembanyama gives San Antonio a puncher’s chance against them as long as he stays healthy.
A little extra spiciness involving Holmgren and Wembanyama is good for the NBA.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Why Wembanyama’s 1-sided beef with Holmgren is good for NBA
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