It's officially the slow part of the offseason when the NBA Draft and initial onslaught of free agency are in the rearview while the start of training camp is still a ways away. Yet, despite this reality, OKC Thunder star Chet Holmgren seemingly finds himself remaining quite busy.
On top of his summer workouts aimed at honing his craft heading into what many expect to be a tremendous follow-up to his rookie campaign, the rising star big man has been actively running a local youth basketball camp in Norman, Oklahoma where the aim, in his words, is to "host the next generation of hoopers."
Those in attendance participated in a slew of different activities ranging from skills training and live scrimmages among the campers to one-on-one matchups, and, regarding this latter exercise, Thunder fans are jokingly roasting Holmgren for his participation, as a video clip posted by beat writer Ryan Stiles has gone viral showing the big man losing at the buzzer to an attendee.
Chet Holmgren camper Ethan wins one on one on a buzzer beating 3. When asked why he didn’t foul up 3, Chet said he didn’t believe in Ethan’s jumper. Ethan admitted to not calling bank. pic.twitter.com/oA9y3mU1cq
— Rylan Stiles (@Rylan_Stiles) July 23, 2024
Thunder fans playfully jab at Chet Holmgren following viral camp clip
One fan left a playful comment to Stiles' post saying "is @ChetHolmgren washed up????" while another jokingly urged Thunder GM Sam Presti to "keep a draft pick tucked away for little buddy Ethan," the kid who cashed in the game-winner in the video.
Others also got into the spirit of the social media bit by coming to the defense of Holmgren, with some calling "TRAVEL!" on the play while others were quick to call out the officiating team for being "blind."
"These kids are a lot farther ahead than I was at this age, at these camps, but I have come a long way and they are going to, too. This is just another journey of life for them," Holmgren told Stiles.
While this may have been Holmgren's first time hosting a youth basketball camp, this is by no means his lone experience participating in community events, as he's already gone about and opened up local courts throughout the Oklahoma City area.
As revealed by Stiles, Holmgren noted that the reason for his drive to continue giving back to the community is because, when he was recovering from a severe foot injury that forced him to miss the entirety of his first season in 2022-23, "the city did not shy away from supporting me, so I don't see any reason that I could stop supporting the community out here."
This is presumed to be the first of many camps held by the Thunder stud moving forward, and, hopefully, he'll one day be able to get a rematch against the cold-blooded Ethan.