Chet Holmgren’s career comes with an oddly tidy through line: wherever he finishes a season, that team tends to sit on top of the bracket. From his high school days at Minneapolis power Minnehaha Academy to a one‑year stop at Gonzaga and now the Oklahoma City Thunder, Holmgren has spent most springs looking down at everyone else in the standings. This week, that pattern rolled on as the Thunder wrapped up the NBA’s best regular‑season record.
Thunder clinch No. 1 seed again
Oklahoma City locked up the NBA’s best record and the Western Conference’s No. 1 seed with a 128‑110 win over the Los Angeles Clippers, pushing the Thunder to 64‑16 and securing home court throughout the playoffs, according to ESPN. It marks the third straight year the Thunder have finished atop the West, a run that nudges the franchise into rare air historically. Around town, it registers as something simpler: proof that the rebuild around Shai Gilgeous‑Alexander, Jalen Williams and Holmgren has fully grown into a championship‑caliber core.
From Minnehaha to Gonzaga
Holmgren first got used to that top‑line status at Minnehaha Academy, where the program finished multiple seasons ranked No. 1 in its class during his prep run, according to Prep Hoops. One college season later, he was in Spokane, and Gonzaga carried the trend right along by claiming the No. 1 overall seed in the 2022 NCAA tournament, per Sports Illustrated. By the time Holmgren turned pro, the pattern was clear: when his season ends, his team usually starts the bracket on the top line.
Pro entry and early setback
The Thunder made it official when they grabbed Holmgren with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, a selection documented on NBA.com. Before he could suit up as a rookie, though, Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury that knocked him out for the entire 2022‑23 season, as the team announced in 2022 on NBA.com. His long rehab and eventual return have run alongside Oklahoma City’s steady climb back to the top of the league table.
Numbers that matter
Once healthy, Holmgren’s production settled in right around the hype. He averaged about 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and roughly 2.3 blocks per game in a recent full season, according to his player page at ESPN. His mix of rim protection and floor spacing has helped the Thunder keep their defense among the league’s best, even when other rotation regulars have been in and out of the lineup. That two‑way impact sits near the center of why Oklahoma City keeps ending up at the top of the standings.
A championship anchor
The Thunder turned all that regular‑season dominance into a title in 2025, finishing a 68‑win campaign with a Game 7 Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers that delivered Oklahoma City its first NBA championship since the franchise relocated, as reported by The Guardian. That ring changes the way Holmgren’s streak reads; it is no longer only about snagging top seeds, it now includes a championship payoff in the postseason.
What comes next
How long that streak lives will probably come down to health. Holmgren made 32 starts in the 2024‑25 season after returning from a midseason injury, according to his season log, and the Thunder’s ceiling still looks tied closely to his availability. If he and the core stay on the floor, Oklahoma City figures to reach the postseason with enough depth and two‑way versatility to keep defending that top spot. For now, the Thunder have another No. 1 seed to celebrate, another title defense in front of them and a young star whose habit of finishing on the top line keeps rolling along.
