As celebrations began to ensue at Paycom Center after the Oklahoma City Thunder outlasted the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of the NBA Finals, Chet Holmgren made a beeline to the stands to find his father, Dave. After winning the NBA Finals with a record-setting Game 7 performance, Holmgren – the fourth-ever GU alumni to be crowned an NBA Champion – wanted nothing more than to hug his dad.

In a winner-takes-all game, Holmgren was cool under pressure, putting up 18 points on 75% shooting with eight boards and a Finals Game 7 record of five blocks. 

With the Pacers’ star point guard Tyrese Haliburton exiting the game early in the first quarter, Holmgren’s matchup in the paint with Pascal Siakam only grew in importance, as Indiana would have to rely on their veteran top scorer to carry more of the scoring load. Unfortunately for Indiana, Holmgren limited Siakam to just two assists and 5-for-13 shooting from the field, effectively taking him out of the Pacers’ offense down the stretch and sealing the deal for the 2024-25 NBA Champions.

“Chet is just special on the defensive end,” ABC commentator Doris Burke said of the former GU standout after he locked up Siakam during a possession in Game 7. “He’s had to switch onto guards, he’s been a presence on the rim. [The Pacers] are now 2-for-7 when he’s the contesting defender.”

But the second-year power forward’s road to success in the NBA and to these Finals hadn’t been a smooth one. Originally a five-star recruit out of Minneapolis’ Minnehaha Academy, Holmgren was always destined for the NBA with a 7-foot-1 frame and elite wingspan, making him a tantalizing prospect for any talent spotter. Injury risk was the biggest knock on Holmgren’s potential due to the “stick-like” skinniness of his limbs. Nonetheless, the one-and-done Zag was healthy entering the 2022 NBA Draft and was picked second overall by the Thunder.

Injuries have rattled Holmgren’s early career, as he missed all of the 2022-2023 season with a foot fracture before bouncing back with a second-place finish to Victor Wembanyama in the Rookie of the Year voting the next season.

Just when Holmgren seemed poised to take another leap in his third season, he fractured his hip on Nov. 10, forcing him to miss 39 straight games and 50 games in total. He slotted back into his pre-injury role as a starter and key contributor on both ends of the court as head coach Mark Daigneault eased him back heading into the playoffs. 

While superstars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams will capture most of the headlines about OKC’s championship run, the late-season addition of Holmgren as a consistent third option for this Oklahoma City team had an understated impact. Holmgren brought elite defense with offensive qualities that created chances for his co-stars to excel. As a stretch big shooting 37.9% from three, Holmgren could vacate space in the paint to create driving lanes for scorers like Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams.

This was on full display throughout the postseason, as Gilgeous-Alexander and Williams excelled throughout the playoffs alongside the new dynamic that Holmgren brought to their offense. 

Defensively, Holmgren’s Game 7 work on Siakam was certainly impressive, but it wasn’t even the first time he locked down an opponent’s star in a winner-takes-all matchup this playoffs. Against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in the conference semifinals, Holmgren was pivotal to limiting the nigh-unstoppable Jokic, reining in the two-time MVP’s production to 20 points or below on three separate occasions. 

Perhaps no one describes the value Holmgren brings to the Thunder as succinctly as his own teammate, Gilgeous-Alexander.

“Chet affects the game on a high level every night. He’s everywhere, blocking shots, rotating, switching on guards,” the Finals MVP said in an interview after Game 7. “He’s amazing – there’s so much room [for him] to grow.”

Fellow GU teammate and Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard averaged 11.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists during the series, including a 15-point, six-assist outing in Game 7.

But as GU celebrates its fourth NBA championship, one thing is for certain: Holmgren has come a long way from Spokane. The skinny freshman out of Minnesota, whose dad used to record every game in his lone season at GU on a camcorder, is now an NBA Champion.

Hoby Miller is a staff writer.