The battle of the rookies – Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren was well and truly on during the preseason matchup of OKC v Spurs.
There was a lot of heat in the game considering it was preseason, and the Thunder managed to come away with a 121-122 win.
The two towering youngsters Chet and Wemby went head-to-head, literally.
Early in the first quarter, Wembanyama barrelled through Holmgren for an and-1, using his head to knock the OKC forward out of the way.
He then flexed on Holmgren, who ended up on the floor from the move.
Chet caught the video on social media after the game and responded in the most hilarious way.
The headbutt is an unstoppable move fasho😂😂🤝 https://t.co/Oaz7Mz8f57
— chet holmgren (@ChetHolmgren) October 10, 2023
Wembanyama finished the night with 20 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes on 61.5 percent shooting from the field and 40 percent shooting from three at center.
Meanwhile, Holmgren recorded 21 points and nine rebounds in 16 minutes on 70 percent shooting from the field and 100 percent shooting from three.
21-year-old Holmgren was part of last year’s draft class but didn’t take the court at all last season due to a Lisfranc foot injury he sustained during a CrawsOver Pro-Am event.
“It was good, personally, I was feeling good like I had a lot of energy,” Wembanyama said after the game. “I felt like he hurt us in the first half.
“And I know it’s just preseason, but for sure the games against OKC are going to be interesting.”
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was just as intrigued about the matchup as the rest of the NBA world.
“They went at each other a couple of times and it was interesting,” Popovich said. “It shows their character, their competitiveness and they did it within reason.
“Neither one was shooting horrible shots, they weren’t trying to do one another in or anything. It was basic basketball, and the basketball gods will agree. They are going to be a lot of fun for everyone to watch over their careers.”
The pair play their first regular season game against each other on Nov. 14 in Oklahoma City.
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