Eight months after capturing an NBA championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder, former Gonzaga center/forward Chet Holmgren earned his first NBA All-Star nod.
The Oklahoma City star became the third former Zag to earn All-Star honors on Sunday, joining a small group that previously only included John Stockton and Domantas Sabonis. Stockton was a 10-time All-Star during his Hall of Fame career with the Utah Jazz while Sabonis made three All-Star teams playing for the Indiana Pacers and Sacramento Kings.
Holmgren was one of seven players named to the NBA West All-Star reserves Sunday afternoon, joining Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Jamal Murray of the Denver Nuggets, Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets, Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns, Deni Avdija of the Portland Trail Blazers and LeBron James of the Los Angeles Lakers.
The 2026 NBA All-Star Game is taking place on Feb. 15 at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles with a new format. Two teams of American-born players will compete against one team of international players, the “World Team,” in a round-robin format featuring four 12-minute games.
Holmgren becomes the seventh Thunder player to earn All-Star honors and will join Oklahoma City teammate/reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in Los Angeles later this month.
The 7-footer is averaging career-highs in scoring (17.8 points per game) and rebounding (8.6 rebounds per game) while ranking third in the NBA with 2.1 blocks per game. After opening the season with a 24-1 record, Oklahoma City’s just 14-10 in its last 24 games, but the Thunder still own the NBA’s best mark at 38-11.
Holmgren is one of only three players in the league averaging at least 17.0 ppg and 8.0 rpg while shooting 55% from the field and 37% from the 3-point line, joining Denver’s Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetekounmpo.
Holmgren was named Western Conference Defensive Player of the Month in December and currently leads the NBA while holding opponents to 44.2% on 2-point shots. He’s tied for first in total blocks at the rim with 56.
Once the nation’s top-rated recruit, Holmgren followed former Minnehaha (Minnesota) High School teammate Jalen Suggs to Gonzaga one season after the guard led Mark Few’s program to an unbeaten regular season and national championship game run.
Holmgren was a consensus second-team All-American during his lone season at Gonzaga, leading the Zags to a No. 1 seed at the NCAA Tournament, where they were upset by Arkansas and future Oklahoma City teammate Jaylin Williams. Holmgren averaged 14.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg and 3.7 bpg at Gonzaga, breaking Brandon Clarke’s single-season record with 117 blocked shots.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Holmgren encountered adversity before he could step foot on an NBA court, injuring his foot during a pickup game at the Crawsover Pro-Am event in Seattle. Holmgren sat out the entire 2022-23 NBA season, but earned All-Rookie honors in 2023-24 and led Oklahoma City to the Western Conference Semifinals.
Holmgren averaged 15.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg and 2.2 bpg in his second NBA season as the Thunder advanced to the NBA Finals against former Gonzaga teammate Andrew Nembhard and the Indiana Pacers. Holmgren capped an impressive Finals run with 18 points, eight rebounds and five blocks as the Thunder beat the Pacers 103-91 in Game 7.