A crowded Minneapolis gym buzzed last Friday, when the 7-1 man of the hour walked the baseline during a battle between the state’s top two girls Class 2A basketball teams.
Even with the intense battle on the court between Providence Academy and Minnehaha Academy, heads turned away from the game action and phones popped out. Everything Chet Holmgren does turns into fire these days on social media.
Holmgren’s presence in the basketball world continues to soar with the Oklahoma City Thunder as he chases No. 1 pick Victor Wembanyama from San Antonio for NBA Rookie of the Year honors.
Minnehaha Academy retired Holmgren’s No. 34 jersey that night on the same court where his high school hoops journey started. Thunder teammates joined his friends and family for the ceremony, creating even more excitement in the packed crowd.
Holmgren’s humility rose above the hype, though. He made the honor more about his circle than himself.
“Just having everybody there who kind of helped me make that happen is the more important part than my jersey getting put on the wall,” Holmgren told the Star Tribune. “It was a very special moment.”
Not long ago, nobody talked as much about Holmgren being the next big thing. Rare during an age where ballers younger than middle school go viral. His father, Dave, documents almost everything now with his own camcorder, but he wouldn’t say Friday if his son belongs among the best the state has ever produced. Seems obvious. Haha.
“We’re just taking it one day and game at a time,” said the ex-Gophers center. “And we’ll see where it goes.”