The first night of the 2026-27 regular season between the Thunder and Spurs turned chippy fast, and the second quarter exploded into a full-blown scene.
It started when De’Aaron Fox shoved Chet Holmgren to the floor after Holmgren tried to take undue advantage of his size in a mismatch below the post. Jaylin Williams immediately jumped in for the Thunder and pushed Fox for going after his teammate. Victor Wembanyama then got involved on Fox’s side, shoving Williams away before officials, assistant coaches, and teammates rushed in to break things up.
The moment spread quickly online, where fans reacted hard to the sight of Fox, who is nearly a foot smaller than Holmgren, sending him to the ground. Reactions poured in across social media, with some fans going straight at Holmgren and others aimed at Fox for the shove.
“Chet got b-ched, and he let his teammates do all the shoving.”
“Chet is so weak, gang. You’re 7’1”; how do you get dummied by a 6’2” man? Smh lmaooo.”
“Fox was mad he sold in the Finals; keep your anger to yourself.”
“He threw Chet like he was nothing. 😭”
“Chet didn’t even bother to get in the weight room this offseason.”
“Chet needs to put on some weight 🤣”
After a lengthy review, the officials hit Fox with a flagrant foul (penalty one). Victor Wembanyama, Jaylin Williams, Jalen Williams, and Kenrich Williams all received technical fouls.
The matchup had already drawn attention because of the long-running connection between Holmgren and Wembanyama. The rivalry predates their NBA careers, and even though both players have denied there’s anything personal, the 2026 playoffs only added fuel to the fire.
Before the game, Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated asked Holmgren about it, and Holmgren sidestepped the question.
“That’s a question for him,” Holmgren said when asked whether Victor Wembanyama had made their rivalry personal.
On the floor, the two big men were going at each other throughout the night, including multiple blocks on one another. But the Spurs were staring at a 21-point deficit at the halfway mark as they tried to fight back.
That’s the bigger backdrop here: two teams that clearly aren’t backing off, two players at the center of it all, and one opening-night matchup that turned the temperature up in a hurry. If this was the appetizer, the Thunder and Spurs may have plenty more fireworks ahead.
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Once order was restored, the game resumed with San Antonio still chasing Oklahoma City in the second quarter. The incident added an edge to a matchup already rich with intrigue, especially with Victor Wembanyama on the floor and the Thunders young core right in the middle of the fray, a reminder that this rivalry may not need much time to boil over again. [Read more 🡒]