The 2021 FIBA U19 World Cup saw the seeds of rivalry between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. Now, the FIFA World Cup unexpectedly became the next chapter, at least that’s what the netizens are speculating. The dominating 2-0 win for Spain over France definitely deserves some plaudits. But the Thunder star’s message came out of nowhere.

On his Instagram, Holmgren shared his Threads post praising the Spaniards and their 19-year-old wing superstar. “Shoutout to Spain and shoutout to Lamine Yamal; that kid is a problem,” referencing the young Spanish star’s strong play in the 2026 World Cup. While there are no direct links for Chet and the Spanish superstar, this semi-final was against France.

Since Victor Wembanyama is a French native, many thought the Thunder star was seemingly celebrating out of spite. Another reason for this assumption was that there have been no additional WC or soccer posts found from Chet Holmgren on Threads. But the Thunder now have a young Spaniard on the roster, which could have seemingly influenced Chet’s preference.

Aday Mara was the No. 12 pick and quickly called a “Wemby Stopper.” His 7’3″ length, an incredible 7’6″ wingspan, and a 9’9″ standing reach highlight his ability that Wemby could have a problem with. With Mara’s arrival, now Chet Holmgren can slide into the natural power forward position.

Thus avoiding getting mauled and definitely delivering better results than the Conference Finals. Chet became just the second All-NBA player in at least the last 50 years to score four points or fewer in a playoff Game 7. In fact, his performance throughout the series was unimpressive. The 24-year-old averaged just 10.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.1 blocks in 29.9 minutes per game in the series against the Spurs.

The defensive issues are not new for Chet Holmgren. But the disappointing series against his rival Victor Wembanyama was something that nobody expected.

OKC Thunder remain confident in Chet Holmgren despite backlash

Fans and analysts even called for a trade. Former champion and now ESPN broadcaster Kendrick Perkins said that the Thunder center was “a complete no-show.” He would further state, “Wemby straight up not only punked him but he took his heart, he snatched his soul.” While calls from the outside were signaling for an exit, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remained strong in support of his teammate.

“Before Chet was here, we weren’t who we are today. We didn’t have the success we’ve had today. When he’s the best version of himself, we’re the best version of ourselves, and it’s no secret. I know how much Chet loves this game and wants to be the best version of himself out there every night. And sometimes it just doesn’t go that way.”

“Every minute Chet Holmgren’s been on the team, we’ve been the 1 seed in the Western Conference,” Even the Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault was not losing patience. “And it wasn’t the case before Chet was healthy.”

Chet Holmgren will occupy 25% of the cap space, and next season against the Spurs, the performance can’t mimic the Game 7 disappointment. Banter and digs will continue off the court, but on the hardwood, the Thunder will have a big chip on their shoulder to deliver.