The NBA may be eager to turn Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama into a full-blown rivalry, but Holmgren doesn’t sound interested in playing that game.
The Thunder big man, speaking to Chris Mannix in a Sports Illustrated feature, pushed back on the idea that the matchup with Wembanyama should become something bigger than the basketball itself. Holmgren said he took lessons from the Spurs’ 7-game win over Oklahoma City in May, along with what he could gather from the other 28 teams around the league, and made it clear he isn’t looking to get lost in the hype of a head-to-head storyline.
“You can't get so wrapped up in just that, that you forget the process and the steps that it takes to work towards the goal we're trying to work towards,” Holmgren told Chris Mannix about facing Wembanyama. “They're a very talented young team.
There's no denying that. And I'd say, I mean, we're a very talented young team too, and that leads to some very fiery, competitive basketball games.”
Wembanyama, for his part, has given the rivalry talk more oxygen than Holmgren has. He’s sounded more open to the challenge on the court, though he’s also played it down in public comments. In a December 2025 interview with Taylor Rooks on NBA’s Prime Video coverage, he said:
“Ultimately, on the court, you know the MVPs in that court, the reigning MVP, so she is our main focus. Anybody is hard to guard when you have to help on the MVPs.”
Maxime Aubin also got Wembanyama’s view ahead of the teams’ Christmas matchup in December 2025, and the Spurs star was even more direct.
“No, I don't think about that. At least from a basketball standpoint, there's no comparison (between us).”
Whether the league wants to call it a rivalry or not, the timing is right for another big chapter. The Spurs and Thunder are scheduled to meet Tuesday in a game with early Western Conference implications hanging over it.
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