The Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions for the first time, and a lot of the credit goes to Chet Holmgren.

The Thunder beat the Indiana Pacers 103–91 in Game 7 Sunday night to take home a title. Their 23-year-old center set an NBA record with his defensive play in Game 7. Holmgren's five blocks are a record for a Game 7 of the NBA Finals. The previous record was four and belonged to Marvin Webster in 1978 and Kevin Garnett in 2010.

Holmgren finished Game 7 with 18 points, eight rebounds, a steal and those five blocks. It was a tremendous performance for a player finishing his second season.

The Thunder drafted Holmgren with the No. 2 pick in 2022 NBA draft, but he missed his entire rookie season due to a foot injury. He was an All-Rookie first-teamer in 2024 and has quickly become a key piece for the new NBA champions.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chet Holmgren Sets Finals Game 7 Record With Massive Defensive Performance for Thunder.

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