From bed rest to champion: Inside Chet Holmgren's comeback

"SEVEN WEEKS AFTER his 23rd birthday, Chet Holmgren won his first NBA title. Ten days after celebrating it, Holmgren estimated, he forced himself back into the gym. "Nothing's worse for your body than not training," Holmgren told ESPN. "I learned that being on bed rest for six weeks watching my muscle just f---ing wash away." Almost everything about the Oklahoma City Thunder's dream ride to a 2025 NBA championship is remembered with radiance."

"Wiggins squared up a leaping Holmgren at the wrong angle, using an extended elbow to send the aggressive but skinny shot blocker careening toward the court on a parallel descent. Hip met hardwood. Holmgren fractured his pelvis and writhed in agony. His two biggest teammates, Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams, followed the training staff to his aid, carrying the franchise center to the locker room and staying with him as he came to grips with the diagnosis."

Chet Holmgren won his first NBA title seven weeks after his 23rd birthday and quickly returned to training despite prolonged bed rest that eroded his muscle. Last November, Holmgren suffered a fractured pelvis after an on-court collision with Andrew Wiggins, falling painfully to the hardwood and requiring teammates Isaiah Hartenstein and Jaylin Williams to carry him to the locker room. He went to the hospital that night and missed 39 games before returning for the Thunder's championship run. Holmgren signed a five-year, $240.7 million extension and remains early in his NBA development with relatively few regular-season appearances.

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