Feb 29, 2024; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Chet Holmgren (7) and San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) battle for position in the first half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Is Chet Holmgren Versus Victor Wembenyama Considered One of NBA's Best Rivalries?

Originally posted on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI
By Ross Lovelace | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 7:24 PM ET

Oklahoma City is in a unique position heading into a season that promises to be exciting. For the first time in forever, the Thunder are the top dog, with no real rivals at the top.

It looked like the Celtics could be a complete force to be reckoned with after the 2023-24 campaign, but management had to split up the team with heavy tax implications and salary cap limitations. Of course the Western Conference is full of elite teams and the competition is stout, but the path to a second straight championship is relatively clear for the Thunder.

Outside of the competition aspect, it feels like the Thunder lacks a true rival, surprisingly enough. In the earlier iteration of the Thunder’s dynasty, the Golden State Warriors were a classic, obvious rival. Even the Grizzlies, the Spurs, and the Mavericks could’ve been considered a rival — the playoff battles were testy for certain.

There are plenty of potential rivals brewing in the West — Houston, Denver, and Minnesota to name a few. But on NBA Today, they discussed the best current rivalries in the NBA — and Oklahoma City wasn’t featured as a team. They did have an individual make the list, though.

The NBA Today crew pick their best NBA rivalry right now pic.twitter.com/s34DJEUd4y
— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) September 18, 2025

Chiney Ogwumike listed one of her favorite rivalries in the NBA consisted of Thunder’s young star and San Antonio’s generational talent.

“What about the rivalry of the future,” Ogwumike said. “Anytime you have these Spider-man memes going at you, it’s good. I’m talking about Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren, that is the rivalry of the future. And I love it because they mimic each other in frame, they still got major game.

“But more importantly, these are guys that respectfully have animosity towards each other when they touch the floor. And it’s not just domestically here in the NBA either, it’s also internationally — we can see this play out for Team USA and Team France for years to come.”

While Holmgren and Wembanyama have never publicly expressed or shown distaste for one another, it’s pretty clear that they aren’t best friends. It seems to be all in competition though — they are both extremely competitive players.

Still, the rivalry feels a bit forced. The Thunder evolved much quicker than the Spurs, and Holmgren and Wembenyama don’t play the same role for their respective teams at all. The international aspect poses an interesting scenario, but in the NBA, Oklahoma City never lets individual matchups get in the way. It’ll always be Thunder versus Spurs — not Holmgren versus Wembenyama.

This article first appeared on Oklahoma City Thunder on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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