Shaq Doesn’t Believe Chet Holmgren Has Earned ‘Phenomenal’ Label Yet

Not everyone is prepared to bestow accolades upon the 21-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren, who is vying alongside San Antonio Spurs sensation Victor Wembanyama for the 2023–24 Rookie of the Year title.

Shaquille O’Neal talked about Holmgren’s incredible rookie season on a

recent episode of The BIG Podcast, but he winced when guest Adam Lefkoe called the Thunder center “phenomenal.”

Rejecting the idea that Holmgren was a great player, O’Neal said the former No. 2 choice had not yet lived up to such a high reputation.

“Avoid doing that. Avoid doing that. Don’t do that action. Shaq remarked, “I hate when y’all do that,” in response to Lefkoe’s praise of Holmgren. You’re using terms that we have to put a lot of effort into. The term “phenomenal” is inappropriate.

“He’s good, but don’t expect him to be a great, Hall of Famer in the future.” I’m stopping all of it as of today. You can’t just give these individuals anything without doing any work yourself. The word “phenomenal” is incorrect. Furthermore, unless he consistently uses dominance, you cannot employ it. Years, not two or three games, are what I mean.

Holmgren has had a great start to 2023–24 after missing the entire 2022–2023 season due to a foot ailment sustained during the winter. He has averaged 17.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game in 33 games. He has also shot an extremely effective 40.7% from three-point range.

Even though Holmgren’s career has taken off, O’Neal isn’t ready to call the rookie from Oklahoma City “phenomenal,” arguing that he still has a lot of work to do before he can truly be called that.