The OKC Thunder finally sought their revenge against the Mavs. But the home fans seemed more interested in something else. The revered big man, Chet Holmgren, graced the Paycom Center with his presence. Suddenly, the eyes glued to the court took a moment to take a clean look at the courtside. Following the scary collision and fall near the paint, the 7-foot big man made his first presence and left fans excited with an injury update.

The big man missed his entire rookie season, recovering from a Lisfranc injury on his foot. Following that, he made his debut, along with Victor Wembanyama, another 7-foot giant. While he played the entire season without missing a game, he suffered a grave injury this year, fracturing his right iliac hip after a nasty collision with Andrew Wiggins on November 10.

While Holmgren missed every single game after that, tonight he made a presence near the court in a casual attire. Fittingly, the Thunder had sweet revenge on the Dallas Mavericks, who kicked them out in the 2024 Conference quarterfinals and headed to the NBA Cup semis. Moreover, he also gave a short and crisp speech in the Thunder locker room ahead of the game. Chet reportedly said, “Win the game. Get some more money. Protect homecourt.” And they did exactly what he said.

Amid this situation, Holmgren also gave a positive injury update that’s progressing well. Moving around on his own a month after a hip fracture is indeed a positive sign. In response to that, fans reacted in elation.

Fans express strong emotion after Chet Holmgren’s return

Chet Holmgren’s last few seconds on the court were indeed painful to watch. Andrew Wiggins charged up from the corner and headed to the rim for a slam dunk, but he, instead, had a mid-air collision on Chet’s right hip. However, he somehow managed to drop the bucket. On the other end, Holmgren fell on the floor, screaming in pain. After a brief pause, he was escorted off the court. It looked like he wouldn’t return for the rest of the season.

While Holmgren left the court with a somber feeling, fans couldn’t believe their eyes tonight. In fact, looking at the big man’s straight face, witnessing the game, a fan wrote, “Chet Holmgren is on ALL the painkillers, man.” Despite the painkillers, a person with a fractured hip can’t really show up in a packed arena. And a fan rightly pointed it out, writing, “Chet standing unassisted,” with a heart emoji.

Unless you are an OKC Fan, you wouldn’t believe the emotional message behind this special appearance. Heading into the season, the Thunder had two bigs – Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein. The German big injured his hand during the preseason and delayed his debut. And before he could play, Holmgren suffered a hip injury. So, there was a stretch where the team literally played without a big and struggled to get rebounds. While Hartenstein has significantly performed well since his debut, Holmgren’s early return would be a massive boost. A fan capturing the emotion wrote, “Damn he should be back soon, no crutches?”

Amid this wholesome moment, a fan decided to crack a joke. They wrote, “That’s Abraham Lincoln time traveling.” Holmgren has a lanky, angular physique with high cheekbones and a prominent nose. Some say it’s similar to the iconic Abraham Lincoln. Especially, they both have strikingly similar beards. Above all, this joke was fitting because no one expected Holmgren to walk by himself this early with a fractured hip.

Another fan was a bit more concerned about the star’s union with his teammates, writing, “Why is bro not just on the bench?” But, a fan replying to the comment wrote, “Definitely too much movement to sit over there.” Moreover, we can confirm there isn’t any tussle in their union, as Chet reshared a video of SGA’s craft dime to Lu Dort and wrote, “Kobe”.

To sum up, the OKC gang is tight as they have what it takes to win the NBA Cup.