Chet Holmgren

There are two types of defenders in basketball, according to Chet Holmgren: those who watch plays being made, and those who go out and generate the big-time sequences themselves. By the final buzzer’s sound on the biggest showdown of his NBA career to date, zero question remained, as to which side the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 7-foot-1 star stood on. Quiet — by his standards at least — in the previous two games, Holmgren emerged on June 22, 2025 with highlights aplenty, blending catch-and-shoot triples, emphatic swats, and rim-bending jams into the evening’s historic display. One masterpiece away from putting the title of “NBA champion” on his résumé as a 22-year-old, Holmgren’s one-of-a-kind defensive showing made him a one-of-one in the league’s 79-year record books. The banner-raising win included 18 points (on an impressive six-of-eight shooting), eight rebounds, one steal, one 3-pointer, and five rejections, the most in a Game Seven performance by a single player throughout the NBA’s postseason history.

Championship Year