SUMMARY
- Chet Holmgren had an outstanding year helping OKC reach the top spot in the Western Conference.
- The 21-year-old claims social media and NILs have helped younger athletes understand the business aspect of the sport before going pro.
Chet Holmgren had an incredible first season in the NBA despite making his debut an entire year after his draft class. While he was drafted, there were a lot of concerns regarding his ability to take damage. Unfortunately, these concerns came to life after he suffered a Lisfranc fracture during a pro-am game in 2022. However, his inability to stay healthy may not be a problem anymore and he’s only one of six NBA players to have played 82 games this season.
The Oklahoma City Thunder went from being a 10th seed to the top team in the Western Conference since Holmgren walked into the scene. It was a close call between OKC, the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Denver Nuggets. But OKC managed to secure the top spot. The 21-year-old also had a productive year averaging 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game. Holmgren is bound to be a superstar in the future as he also aims to take on the business aspect of things.
Chet Holmgren believes athletes of this generation benefit the most from social media
There aren’t too many athletes who focus on the business aspect that comes along with being a professional athlete. However, LeBron James and Steph Curry are among the few who understand that paying attention to that aspect also plays a huge role in building their brand. During an interview with the Boardroom, Chet Holmgren highlighted why the current generation of athletes is the luckiest.
He said, “In the ’80s and ’90s, I’m only seeing the game on TV or the game that got recorded on the DVR. I don’t even know what that is anymore… but DVR, it’s something. But I wouldn’t be able to follow what so and so is doing off the court cause there’s no access. Unless some beat writer is writing an article about it.” Over the last 10 to 15 years, social media has played a major role in acquiring information and building one’s brand.
“I grew up seeing on social media and everything that LeBron’s been doing with Uninterrupted… And that kinda opened up an understanding for me, like early on I wanted to learn about the business side of things too,” he added. Holmgren believes social media has everything there is to know about the behind-the-scenes of the NBA world.
Chet Holmgren looking to use the NBA as a platform to kickstart his business venture
Chet Holmgren further elaborated on how NIL deals helped his generation tap into the business side of sports before going pro. He claims the exposure he had in college helped him understand how to negotiate deals or go about business dealings. “My first year in college, my only year in college was the first year of NIL. So I got a jumpstart into the whole business world of how things worked before I even got to the NBA. Now it’s just like understanding how much power we have as players and brands,” he said.
⚡️ROOKIE OF THE MONTH⚡️
🎥CHET HOLMGREN HIGHLIGHTS🎥 pic.twitter.com/VVVnq1iWo0
— Topic: Thunder Podcast (@OKCTopicThunder) December 4, 2023
Holmgren also added, “But I also understand at the same time, none of that means [anything] if I don’t handle my basketball business on this end.” This is a huge piece of advice that NBA players tend to give to younger athletes. Paul George also recently sat down with Sol Cal’s standout JuJu Watkins and discussed about not letting money divert her progress as an athlete.