Chet Holmgren is heading home this week-but the trip to Minneapolis carries a weight far heavier than just a return to familiar hardwood.
When the Thunder face the Timberwolves on Thursday at Target Center, Holmgren will be suiting up just miles from where he grew up. But this time, the game comes amid a backdrop of tragedy. Two fatal shootings by federal agents in Minneapolis this month have shaken the city, and Holmgren isn’t brushing past it.
After Oklahoma City’s win over New Orleans on Tuesday night, the 21-year-old center addressed the recent events with a thoughtful, measured tone.
“That’s a very loaded topic, obviously,” Holmgren said. “I don’t want to get into the opinions and politics of everything, but I definitely just want to send wishes to everybody up there who’s been affected.”
Holmgren’s words weren’t rehearsed-they were real. His connection to the city runs deeper than just birthplace status.
The second shooting, which claimed the life of 37-year-old Alex Pretti on Jan. 24, happened just three blocks from Holmgren’s parents’ home. That stretch of Nicollet Avenue, known locally as “Eat Street,” isn’t just a landmark-it’s personal.
It’s where his sisters used to grab donuts. It’s where his grandfather’s favorite Greek spot still stands.
It’s home.
“I know that area well,” Holmgren said. “It’s all very close, so seeing that happen definitely kind of takes you back. You never want to see anything like that happen.”
Earlier this month, on Jan. 7, another fatal shooting occurred when Renee Good, also 37, was killed by a U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement agent. The two incidents have sparked national attention and local anguish-emotions Holmgren clearly feels deeply, even as he prepares for a high-stakes Western Conference showdown.
“I definitely think we’re too advanced as a species, just plain and simple, for things like that to be happening,” he said. “No matter what your opinions are or what your beliefs are, we should be able to agree that nobody needs to be dying on the street.”
Holmgren isn’t trying to be a spokesperson or activist-he’s not claiming to have all the answers. But what he is doing is acknowledging the pain in his city, and using his platform to express something that cuts through the noise: compassion.
Thursday’s game will be a homecoming in every sense. Holmgren will play in front of friends and family, in a city that helped shape him.
But this time, the moment will be about more than basketball. It's about showing up, not just as a player, but as a person.