Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) reacts against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half during game four of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Former Gonzaga stars reunite following NBA Conference Finals game

Originally posted on Gonzaga Bulldogs on SI
By Cole Forsman | Last updated May 27, 2025 7:16 PM ET

Located in downtown Minneapolis, the Target Center was where Chet Holmgren and Jalen Suggs won three high school state championships together during their overlapping careers at Minnehaha Academy (Minnesota).

On Monday night, the 19,000-seat venue wound up being the perfect place for a Gonzaga men's basketball reunion between the two former top-five picks. As Holmgren and the Oklahoma City Thunder battled the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals, Suggs supported his former teammate as he sat along the baseline with his fellow Orlando Magic guard Anthony Black.

Holmgren dropped 21 points and grabbed seven rebounds to help the Thunder outlast the Timberwolves, 128-126, and take a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. The 7-foot-1 center also shot 9-for-14 from the field and blocked three shots before catching up with Suggs for a brief moment following the final buzzer.

Holmgren and Suggs never played alongside each other at Gonzaga, though the Bulldogs certainly did well themselves during those two seasons they had a blue-chip prospect on their roster. The Bulldogs went undefeated in the regular season with Suggs at the helm, as he earned All-America honors while guiding his squad to the national championship game.

Chet Holmgren Jalen Suggs

Former high school teammates at Minnehaha Academy reunited after Game 4 in Minnesota ❤️ @ESPNNBA pic.twitter.com/mGdXX3Upf8
— SportsCenter NEXT (@SCNext) May 27, 2025

Later that spring, Mark Few and company reeled in their highest-ranked recruit in program history in Holmgren, who was the consensus No. 1 player of the 2021 class. With Drew Timme at Holmgren's side, Gonzaga's dynamic frontcourt tandem led the Zags to a 28-4 overall record and a finish in the Sweet 16.

In just his second full season in the NBA, Holmgren is already just one win away from making an appearance in the NBA Finals, where his squad, led by the reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, would likely be favored over either one of their potential opponents from the Eastern Conference to take home the Larry O'Brien trophy. Suggs, who recently had knee surgery in March, could one day find himself in a similar spot alongside Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner and the rest of the Magic's young cast if he and his co-stars can stay healthy.