Wembanyama vs Holmgren: Examining Their Previous Meetings Ahead of First Official NBA Showdown

• San Antonio and Oklahoma City square off in the NBA In-Season Tournament tonight
• This will be the first meeting between Wembanyama and Holmgren in an official game
• The young stars squared off before in the preseason and a FIBA U19 World Cup Final

The long wait is finally over.

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren will square off in an official NBA game for the first time in their careers when the Oklahoma City Thunder host the San Antonio Spurs tonight.

Sports Brief looks at how the two young stars performed in their previous matchups.

Wembanyama, Holmgren dazzle in preseason meeting

The first showdown between Wemby and Chet in the NBA, albeit in a preseason setting, lived up to the hype, with Oklahoma City recording a thrilling 122-121 victory over San Antonio last month.

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Holmgren led the way for the Thunder, finishing with 21 points and nine rebounds. He shot 7 of 10 from the field, including a perfect 2 of 2 from beyond the arc. He also had one assist and one block in 16 minutes of action.

Wembanyama also dazzled in that contest, scoring 20 points and grabbing five rebounds in 19 minutes of work.

He shot 8 of 13 from the floor, including 2 of 5 from the 3-point area.

The 7-foot rookies put on a show in the first quarter, with the two talented big men combining for 24 points during that period, per Sports Illustrated.

Wemby, Chet battle in FIBA U19 Final

Wemby and Chet’s first-ever meeting came in July 2021 when France faced the United States in the final of the U19 Basketball World Cup.

Holmgren was good as advertised, averaging 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and 2.7 blocks per game in the tournament.

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He shot 62.0 percent from the field, including 53.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Wembanyama also stuffed the stat sheet in that event, averaging 14.0 points, 7.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 5.7 blocks per game, per FIBA.com.

He did it all for France in the final, scoring 22 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and recording eight blocks before fouling out with 2:42 minutes remaining.

Holmgren finished the game with 10 points, five assists, and two rebounds. He had the last laugh as the Americans pulled off an 83-81 win.

Comparing Wemby and LeBron's NBA debuts

Sports Brief also recently compared the NBA debuts of Wembanyama and LeBron James.

The Frenchman played limited minutes in his first game for the Spurs due to foul trouble, finishing with 15 points against the Dallas Mavericks.

James had 25 points and nine assists in his first NBA game against the Sacramento Kings.