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Chet Holmgren credits three people for OKC winning the title
Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Chet Holmgren was supposed to have a dominant rookie season in 2022 when the Oklahoma City Thunder drafted him second overall. However, a Lisfranc injury he suffered during a Pro-am game would cost him the entire 2022-23 season.

Holmgren would return and start playing at a high level, helping his Thunder reach new heights. Now, they’ve reached the top as OKC is the champions of the NBA.

After winning the title, Holmgren credited three people as the reason the Thunder became champions.

“I would say three of the biggest people in all this is Mark, Clay and Sam. I’m not out there on the floor if those three don’t believe in me. As much as this was for myself, teammates, everybody else, it was for those three. They believed in me from the moment that they drafted me,” Holmgren said.

“I don’t even know the words. I really wanted to, I guess, make them proud, validate their belief in me. This isn’t the end of the road. We have a long ways to go as a team. Everybody understands that.

“This is a huge moment for everybody here, the city, the fans, Clay, Sam, Mark, all the players, the sports staff. I’m just so happy for everybody that we can kind of share this moment together.”

Holmgren is talking about Thunder head coach, Mark Daigneault, general manager Sam Presti, and owner Clay Bennett. To win an NBA championship, you truly need people clicking on all levels, from management down to the players.

The Thunder have this and their future is extremely bright as they could walk away with multiple championships.

This article first appeared on Ball Exclusives and was syndicated with permission.

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