Monday night’s tilt between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs was one of the more highly-anticipated preseason games we’ve seen in a while. That’s because it featured the NBA debuts of a pair of uniquely skilled big men in Victor Wembanyama, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, and Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in 2022.
The pair went head-to-head in the 122-121 Oklahoma City win, and while you should always be careful to not take too much away from the preseason, the skills that make both of them such exciting prospects were on display. There were also plenty of moments where the two had to guard one another, and at one point in the first quarter, Wembanyama drove towards the rim while Holmgren was defending him, drew contact, finished a layup, and got the and-1 call.
WEMBY FLEXED ON CHET HOLMGREN AFTER THE AND-1 💪 pic.twitter.com/HeYCV7aVVA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) October 10, 2023
One angle showed that Wembanyama drew the contact by lowering his head and shoulder and bowling Holmgren over, which caught the attention of the Oklahoma City youngster after the game. Holmgren quote tweeted the highlight and basically said that this happened because Wembanyama headbutted him.
The headbutt is an unstoppable move fasho https://t.co/Oaz7Mz8f57
— chet holmgren (@ChetHolmgren) October 10, 2023
Both of the youngsters played limited minutes. Wembanyama had a slightly longer stint, as he had 20 points on 8-for-13 shooting with five rebounds, two steals, and a block in 19 minutes of work. Holmgren, meanwhile, also impressed in his 16 minutes of action, as he scored 21 points on 7-for-10 shooting with nine rebounds, an assist, and a block.
The pair won’t have to wait long to face off against one another during the regular season, as the Thunder host the Spurs on Nov. 14.
