Chet Holmgren's OKC Thunder teammates show up to his high school jersey retirement
Chet Holmgren had plenty of familiar faces on hand supporting him on Friday night, as his high school jersey was retired by his alma mater Minnehaha Academy (Minnesota).
Joining the former Gonzaga Bulldogs standout in Minneapolis were many of his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates, as members of the organization were in attendance to see the black and red No. 34 jersey honored by the school.
Holmgren helped Minnehaha Academy win four consecutive state championships from 2017-21, three of which came alongside former Gonzaga point guard Jalen Suggs. Holmgren earned Gatorade National Player of the Year honors his senior year after averaging 21 points and 12.3 rebounds.
Here's what Holmgren had to say at his jersey retirement:
I'd just like to say thank you to everybody. I've been trying to make my rounds to say hi to everybody, but I probably won't be able to make it to everyone, so this is my chance to say thank you to everybody who helped give me the opportunity to become who I am and to make this possible for me.
I just want my jersey to be on the wall as an example of the standard that should be kept for everybody who walks through the doors of this school. If you help uphold that standard, it might not help get your jersey retired, but it will help you do great things in life. So, again, thank you everybody for coming.
Around 24 hours after the ceremony, Holmgren put up 15 points and five rebounds in the Thunder's come-from-behind victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. Minnesota led by nine points entering the fourth quarter before OKC roared back to take a 3-point lead with 3.5 seconds remaining. Anthony Edwards then missed three consecutive field goals with his team trailing, sealing a 102-97 decision after a pair of made free throws from Jalen Williams iced the game.
The road win put the Thunder (29-13) a game back of the Timberwolves (30-12) for first place in the Western Conference standings.
OKC has surpassed many preseason expectations with Holmgren making a strong push for the NBA Rookie of the Year award along with San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama. Holmgren is averaging 17.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.6 blocks this season and was named back-to-back NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November and December.
