The rivalry between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama is a topic that will be continually fueled by the NBA. It could even give rise to a mini rivalry between the San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While Holmgren was a member of the 2022 NBA Draft — and Wembanyama joined the league in the 2023 NBA Draft — the two debuted at the same time. The Gonzaga product was the No. 2 pick, with the French phenom being the consensus No. 1 overall pick for a time before the draft even took place.

Wembanyama still won rookie of the year honors and had an impressive debut campaign, though Holmgren was a key part of the Thunder’s 57 wins.

The race for awards won’t stop there. Both centers are 7’4″ and have incredible offensive skills that earn them the “unicorn” label, even if their defensive stalwart abilities are the most impressive part of their game.

Both Holmgren and Wembanyama have counter-attacking abilities that completely change the team’s game plans when they face the Thunder or the San Antonio Spurs. When these two are on the court, opposing teams don’t move as often as they normally would.

With that, both pivots are going to be threats for the Defensive Player of the Year award for years to come — starting this season. Heading into the season, Wembanyama is the -120 favorite to win the award, according to ESPN BET. Holmgren holds the third-best odds at +1200, behind only Wembanyama and Rudy Gobert (+1000) among the award candidates.

If all three of the aforementioned greats are finalists for the award, this will be the second year in a row that Holmgren and Wembanyama have competed for an award. This trend would continue throughout their careers and would only further fuel their rivalry.

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