Chet Holmgren's hometown: Everything you need to know about where the Oklahoma City Thunder star lives
Chet Holmgren is leading the NBA's Rookie of the Year power ranking in Week 4 of the 2023-24 season. However, little is known about the OKC Thunder rookie’s life before the NBA.
Holmgren was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on May 1, 2002. He started playing basketball in his hometown with his father, who is a former college basketball player. His father played basketball for the University of Minnesota from 1984 to 1988. Holmgren gew up with two sisters.
By the time Holmgren was in sixth grade, he was 6-foot-2 (1.88 m) and began to attend Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis. Few know that the OKC rookie played with Orlando Magic player Jalen Suggs at Minnehaha until high school. It wasn’t until he had a wrist injury that Holmgren started to work on his shooting range.
Holmgren continued to live and get his education in Minneapolis. He averaged 6.2 points and three rebounds per game for Minnehaha Academy in his freshman year and won the Class 2A state championship. Next year, he averaged 18.6 points and 11 rebounds and led his team to another Class 2A state championship. In his junior year, he averaged 14.3 points per game and led Minnehaha to a 25-3 record.
In his senior year, the 2022 draftee averaged 21 points and 12.3 rebounds and won the Class 3A state title, his fourth state championship at Minnehaha. He was named Naismith Prep Player of the Year, Gatorade National Player of the Year, Minnesota Mr. Basketball, Morgan Wootten National Player of the Year and a McDonald's All-American. He was the number one player in the country, according to ESPN.
Chet Holmgren's college basketball career
On April 19, 2021, Chet Holmgren signed his National Letter of Intent to play for Gonzaga, starting his college basketball career. In his first game for the college, Holmgren registered 14 points, 13 rebounds, seven blocks and six assists in a massive 97-63 win over Dixie State. He became the first player to do so in the first game.
After the season, he was named Newcomer of the Year and West Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year. He registered 19 points, 17 rebounds, 7 blocks and 5 assists in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. As a freshman, he averaged 14.1 points, 9.9 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game.
Just after a year, on April 21, 2022, Holmgren declared himself for the 2022 NBA draft and withdrew his college eligibility. He was selected second overall in the 2022 NBA draft behind Paolo Banchero.