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Former Gonzaga star Chet Holmgren named to Team USA player pool for Summer Olympics

Oklahoma City’s Chet Holmgren pauses between plays against Indiana during an NBA Summer League game on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nev. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

Former Gonzaga star and current Oklahoma City Thunder rookie Chet Holmgren is one of the 41 players Team USA will examine as it begins to assemble its 12-player roster ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.

Holmgren and 40 other NBA standouts were named to the Team USA player pool announced Tuesday .

The 21-year-old rookie center, who was sidelined during his first NBA season with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot, was the second-youngest player named to the player pool, only behind Orlando Magic standout Paolo Banchero, a 21-year-old Seattle native who was born six months after Holmgren.

Holmgren’s NBA experience, and the stiff competition he’ll face at his position, should make it challenging for the former five-star prospect to make the Team USA roster and reunite with Gonzaga coach Mark Few, who’ll be an assistant on Steve Kerr’s staff this summer in Paris.

Fresh off a 70-point outing against the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers All-Star Joel Embiid headlines the group of big men that will be competing for a roster spot. Others listed in the player pool include Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers and Bam Adebayo of the Miami Heat, along with two members of the FIBA World Cup squad: Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies and Walker Kessler of the Utah Jazz.

Holmgren has had multiple experiences with Team USA, first in 2021 at the FIBA U-19 World Cup and again last summer while working with the select team that was assembled to help the senior national team prepare for games at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Holmgren was named the most valuable player of the U-19 event, helping Team USA beat France, led by No. 1 NBA draft pick Victor Wembanyama, for the gold medal.

The 7-foot-1 Holmgren and 7-foot-3 Wembanyama are thought to be the two front-runners for the NBA Rookie of the Year award. Holmgren is averaging 17.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 blocks per game for Oklahoma City, which sits No. 2 in the Western Conference with a record of 29-13.