What Mark Daigneault, Chet Holmgren Said On May 31

After a two-day rest, the Oklahoma City Thunder held their first 2025 NBA Finals media availability on Saturday. They’re fresh off a blowout Game 5 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves to punch their ticket to the championship round.

The Thunder will now enjoy a week off before they host Game 1 of the NBA Finals on Thursday, June 5. The Indiana Pacers or the New York Knicks will be the opposition. Indiana holds a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault and Chet Holmgren talked to the media on Saturday. Daigneault discussed OKC’s homecourt advantage while Holmgren reflected on his journey from a hip fracture that cost him three months.

Here’s a recap of the Thunder’s NBA Finals May 31 practice:

Mark Daigneault on Chet’s return from his hip injury: “He always comes back stronger, certainly mentally. This was no different. This was a particularly tricky one as he’s such a high impact player and we were having such a great season.” pic.twitter.com/dj5A4pWcYq

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) May 31, 2025

Mark Daigneault on OKC crowds: “I walk out there 3 minutes before the game and everybody is ready. They’re in their seats. They’re standing. Their t-shirts are on. They not only help you when you’re on a positive run and it’s gotten unbelievably loud, they’ve done a great job.” pic.twitter.com/6CWbXqDSyd

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) May 31, 2025

Chet Holmgren on reflecting on his hip fracture: “The thing that pops into my mind is that it was fucked up.”

Said in the first few weeks of rehab, he would just wake up, eat, get on his phone and go to sleep: “I didn’t really feel like watching basketball.” pic.twitter.com/mFYeNAnKb0

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) May 31, 2025

Chet Holmgren on the OKC crowds: “It feels amazing. It feels like having a 6th player out there sometimes. The only time it hurts is when you’re trying to communicate. You never wanna see one of your teammates get blindsided by a screen… We have the best fans in the world.” pic.twitter.com/M4nzpyOzvV

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) May 31, 2025

Chet Holmgren on the 2012 Thunder: “It’s hard not to think when I was a kid and starting in AAU and late elementary school, all the kids on the team and on the other team were on the OkC bandwagon back then. It was the youth’s bandwagon.”

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) May 31, 2025

Chet Holmgren on if any former Thunder players have reached out to him since they clinched the NBA Finals spot: “I’ll say my private conversations are my private conversations.”

— Clemente Almanza (@CAlmanza1007) May 31, 2025

#Mark #Daigneault #Chet #Holmgren

What Mark Daigneault, Chet Holmgren said on May 31

Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply