Chet Holmgren rose to the moment — and in doing so, rose to the mountaintop.
Two years after a devastating Lisfranc injury delayed his league debut, Holmgren stood at center court of the Paycom Center, surrounded by confetti, teammates and the weight of everything it took to get there.
He delivered 18 points, eight rebounds, and a Game 7 NBA Finals-record five blocks to help the Oklahoma City Thunder beat Indiana Pacers 103-91 that clinched the franchise’s first championship since relocating to Oklahoma.
[ALSO READ: Thunder overwhelm Pacers in Game 7 to win first-ever NBA championship]
It was the kind of two-way performance the Thunder envisioned when they drafted him second overall in 2022 — a once-fragile prospect transformed into a defensive cornerstone.
Now, he’s a champion.
Drafted 2nd overall out of Gonzaga in 2022 and now NBA CHAMPION in Year 3... Chet Holmgren!
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025
“It wasn’t always pretty all along,” Holmgren said. “But we did all that just for this. And it’s all worth it.”
The seven-footer’s timing, length and instincts gave Indiana fits, a fitting embodiment of Thunder’s defensive identity all-season long.
CHET HOLMGREN PROTECTING THE LEAD ?
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025
His 4th block of GAME 7!
Thunder lead in the 4th on ABC seeking the franchise's first title in the OKC era ??
“I just wanted to do whatever it took, whatever the team needed me to do to win,” Holmgren said. “Honestly, I just let the game tell me what to do.”
That sense of feel, the balance between aggression and awareness, elevated Holmgren from promising rookie to foundational piece.
He played with poise, showing none of the rust one might expect from someone who missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury suffered while defending LeBron James in a Seattle Pro-Am game.
And this season, he missed three months due to a right iliac wing fracture, another setback that could have shaken his rhythm — but didn’t.
“If it’s something you’ve never been through, it’s really something that you can’t grasp,” Holmgren said.
He emphasized: “We’re a team that no matter what happens — good or bad — we do it together. If we fall, we get back up together.”
There were moments that tested the Thunder’s resolve. They lost Game 6 on the road and trailed in the first half of Game 7. Indiana made a late push. But Holmgren’s presence — especially on defense — was unwavering.
No. 1 defense in the regular season.
— NBA (@NBA) June 23, 2025
No. 1 defense in the playoffs.
And in GAME 7 of the Finals... the @okcthunder defense was as great as ever!
Chet: 5 BLK, 1 STL
Caruso: 3 STL, 1 BLK
Wallace: 3 STL
Dort: 3 STL
JDub: 2 STL
Shai: 1 STL, 2 BLK
“I try to go out there and be aggressive,” Holmgren said.
He continued: “But sometimes as a competitor, you get carried away. Tonight, I think I did a great job letting the game tell me what it needed and going out there trying to execute.”
Now 23, Holmgren is part of a Thunder core that became the league’s youngest champion in nearly 50 years — and a group that may be just getting started.
Chet, Hart, and Larry 🏆
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 23, 2025
“Everybody’s a winner when it’s going good,” Holmgren said. “But when you have to sacrifice — when you have to do the right things off the floor to get ready for games — that’s when you find out who the real winners are.”
And Holmgren? He’s proven he’s exactly that — a real winner and a champion.
