Gonzaga’s NBA Finals representation grows with Kelly Olynyk’s return

Last year, Chet Holmgren became the fourth Gonzaga alumnus to win an NBA championship, and the first since Austin Daye back in 2014 with the San Antonio Spurs.

However, the All-Star big man won't be joining Adam Morrison (2009 and 2010) as two time champions from Gonzaga this year, after his Oklahoma City Thunder fell to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night, 111-103, in Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.

Holmgren had a disastrous Game 7 performance, scoring just four points with four rebounds in 33 minutes. He didn't get up a single field goal attempt in the final three quarters.

San Antonio's win clears the way for veteran Kelly Olynyk to become the fifth Zag with a ring, provided his Spurs team can get past the New York Knicks, who won the Eastern Conference Finals over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Olynyk, 35, is back in the finals for the second time in his career. He was a key part of Miami's run in the bubble in 2020, where they fell to the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Olynyk averaged 11.6 points and 6.0 rebounds while shooting 41.2% from three in that series.

The 2013 All-American is in the midst of his 13th NBA season and sixth playoff appearance - four with Boston, one with Miami, and now in his first season with the Spurs.

Role with San Antonio

Jan 3, 2026; San Antonio, Texas, USA; San Antonio Spurs forward/center Kelly Olynyk (8) | Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Olynyk has had a remarkably consistent NBA career, averaging between 8.2 and 12.5 points every single season until this year, when he took on a very small reserve role behind superstar Victor Wembanyama.

The 7'0 big man appeared in 42 regular-season games for SAS, averaging 3.2 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 8.6 minutes per game. He played just two minutes in San Antonio's round one series win over Portland, and scored 11 points in 20 minutes across six games against Minnesota in the conference semifinals.

He was even more productive against Holmgren and Oklahoma City, appearing in four of the seven games and scoring 14 points with three steals and two rebounds in 42 minutes, shooting 4-7 from the field and 2-3 from deep.

Olynyk has put together one of the most successful NBA careers for any Zag, only behind Hall of Famer John Stockton in games played, while coming in second in steals (Stockton) and third in both total points and minutes played, behind Stockton and three-time All-Star Domantas Sabonis. Olynyk does rank first among Gonzaga alumni in career three-pointers made, with 932.

Should San Antonio defeat the Knicks, Olynyk would join Holmgren (2025), Daye (2014), Ronny Turiaf (2012) and Adam Morrison (2009 and 2010) among former Gonzaga players to win an NBA championship.

Game 1 between San Antonio and New York is set to get underway on Wednesday, June 3, at 5:30 PM PT and will be broadcast on ABC.

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