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Former Gonzaga Star Chet Holmgren Signs Massive Rookie Extension with Oklahoma City

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Andy Patton | Last updated Jul 9, 2025 4:58 PM ET

A few weeks after helping lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship, former Gonzaga star Chet Holmgren was rewarded with a five-year maximum rookie contract extension.

The deal could reach as much as $250 million, or $50 million per year, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told Shams Charania of ESPN on Wednesday morning.

Holmgren's contract would make him the highest-paid former Gonzaga player in the NBA, surpassing the five-year, $217 million deal signed by three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis in 2023 with Sacramento.

The 23-year-old center missed his entire rookie season with a Lisfranc fracture, and three months of the 2024-25 season with a hip injury, but when he's been healthy Holmgren has proven himself among the elite young bigs in the world.

Breaking: Oklahoma City Thunder star and NBA champion Chet Holmgren has agreed to a fully guaranteed five-year maximum rookie contract extension that could reach $250 million, agent Bill Duffy of WME Basketball told ESPN. pic.twitter.com/PsdxZq275C
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 9, 2025

The No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft, Holmgren averaged 15 points, eight rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 32 regular season games this past season for the Thunder.

He ratcheted up his performance once the playoffs began, averaging 18 points against Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference Finals and posting a pair of double-doubles in the NBA Finals, where OKC defeated Andrew Nembhard and the Indiana Pacers in seven games.

Holmgren will look to help OKC become a legit NBA dynasty alongside MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and former Santa Clara star Jalen Williams - who the Thunder are reportedly working to lock down next.

Holmgren and Sabonis are not the only Zags to ink large paydays over the past few years in the NBA. Jalen Suggs signed a five-year, $150.5 million dollar extension with Orlando while Corey Kispert signed a four-year, $54 million contract with the Wizards on the same day back in October of 2024.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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