Is there a war between Wembanyama and Holmgren?: "Too disrespectful towards Chet"

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren are building one of the most exciting rivalries in today's NBA. Two centers over seven feet tall, with a rare combination of height, mobility, and talent. Yesterday, after San Antonio Spurs surprisingly defeated Oklahoma City Thunder to advance to the NBA Cup final, things got heated.

This rivalry once again took center stage following statements made by Wembanyama in an interview broadcast by Amazon Prime Video before the NBA Cup semifinal between Spurs and Thunder. When asked about what he and Holmgren demand from each other when they face off, the Frenchman almost exclusively focused on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

“In the end, on the court, there's the MVP. The reigning MVP, so that's our main focus. Anyone is hard to defend when you have to help out on the MVP,” stated Wembanyama, without directly mentioning Holmgren.

Nowitzki's Retort to Wemby

The comment didn't go unnoticed by Dirk Nowitzki. The Hall of Famer disagreed with the tone of the response before the Spurs-Thunder game. “I didn't like his answer about Chet. I would've liked him to give Chet some credit. You can say that Shai is amazing, but that Chet has improved year by year, that he's a champion, and that you want to compete hard against him. I found it too smug, too disrespectful towards Chet,” explained the German, making it clear that he sees something special in this showdown. “Get your popcorn ready.”

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, ¿Hay guerra Wembanyama - Holmgren?: "Demasiado despectivo con Chet"