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Chet Holmgren #7 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in action during the game against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on March 18, 2026 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. The Thunder won 121-92.
All-Star big man Chet Holmgren is tired of ESPN using AI to enhance his appearance. In response to a viral meme from last week, the Oklahoma City Thunder star used a profile picture of “Sheik Holmgren” for a brief period on Sunday evening before switching to a blank image.
Holmgren’s change referenced the graphic ESPN used during the Thunder versus Minnesota Timberwolves game on Sunday, March 15, where the defensive star appeared to resemble a Middle Eastern sheikh, according to fans on social media.
“This gotta be Ai dawg I’m tired of seeing this,” Holmgren wrote on X.
Chet Holmgren Shines
Fun and games aside, Holmgren continues to excel for the Thunder as their primary rim protector and secondary offensive option behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
During Thunder’s ongoing 11-game winning streak, he has averaged 17.6 points, 10.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks with a plus/minus of +12.8, while shooting 56% from the field. While his three-point shooting has dropped off since earlier in the season, Holmgren continues to feast in two-man actions with SGA, both as a lob threat and a pick-and-pop shooter. Most of all, he continues to shine defensively for the best team in the league, ranking third in individual defensive win shares and first in defensive rating (102.6) among players averaging at least 28.0 minutes per night.
Holmgren remains second in Defensive Player of the Year odds (+500) behind San Antonio Spurs‘ Victor Wembanyama (-599), and is a lock to earn his first All-Defensive First Team nod after missing out last year by not meeting the 65-game criteria.
Chet Holmgren Has Team USA Dreams
Amid his rise as a legitimate two-way star in the NBA, the 23-year-old Holmgren has aspirations to represent Team USA at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“I think one of the biggest honors in any sport is being able to represent your country across your chest on that jersey,” Holmgren said, via BasketNews. “It’s something that if you do, you can’t take lightly. It has to be an extremely serious thing,”
“I’m all for being where your feet are and being in the moment, but I feel like anybody would be lying if they said it wouldn’t be a blessing to have that opportunity. And especially being in my home country, too.”
Holmgren previously played for Team USA at the 2021 FIBA U-19 World Cup in Latvia, where he was named tournament MVP after averaging 11.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.7 blocks per game, while leading his country to a gold medal finish.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
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