Chet Holmgren

Chet Thomas Holmgren was born May 1, 2002 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Holmgren's father, Dave, is also seven feet tall and played 57 games of college basketball for Minnesota. His father helped him develop his game growing up. Chet started attending Minnehaha Academy - a private school in Minneapolis - in sixth grade, when he stood 6-foot-2. He played alongside NBA player Jalen Suggs from then through high school. The school won its second straight Class 2A state championship while Holmgren was a freshman. However, Holmgren's breakout year was as a sophomore, when he averaged 18.6 points and 11.0 rebounds and also secured another state title. He also played AAU ball for Grassroots Sizzle and won tournament MVP at the Under Amour Association. As a junior, Holmgren averaged 14.3 points per game. As a senior, he averaged 21.0 points and 12.3 boards and won the Class 3A state title. Holmgren was also named Gatorade National Player of the Year among various other awards. According to ESPN, Holmgren was the No. 1 player in the 2021 class. The big recruit decided to play college ball at Gonzaga. During his college debut for the Bulldogs, Holmgren posted 14 points, 13 boards, seven blocks and six assists, becoming the first college player in a quarter-century to record at least 10 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks in a debut. Starting 31 of 32 appearances, Holmgren averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds, 3.7 blocks and 1.9 assists over 26.9 minutes per contest. He was named WCC Newcomer of the Year, WCC Defensive Player of the Year and was Consensus All-American Second Team. After his freshman season, Holmgren declared for the 2022 NBA Draft and was selected with the number two pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder.