The rivalry between Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren surpassed all expectations last season, giving NBA fans another classic big-man showdown that might just carry the torch from Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic.
NBA history is loaded with iconic matchups like these, from Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain to Tim Duncan vs. Kevin Garnett.
Now, it looks like Wembanyama and Holmgren are ready to add their names to that list. Last season, they went head-to-head three times, with the Thunder winning two of those games.
Wembanyama averaged 20.0 PPG, 13.0 RPG and 3.7 BPG, while Holmgren put up 16.3 PPG, 7.7 RPG and 1.7 BPG in their matchups. They finished first and second in Rookie of the Year voting, and Wembanyama landed second in Defensive Player of the Year voting.