Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ‘winning’ take on Thunder’s Chet Holmgren All-Star candidacy

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ‘winning’ take on Thunder’s Chet Holmgren All-Star candidacy

Josue Pavon, ClutchPoints · ClutchPoints

Sat, Jan 24, 2026 ·

3 min read

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's 'winning' take on Thunder's Chet Holmgren All-Star candidacy appeared first on ClutchPoints . Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

OKLAHOMA CITY — After a 117-114 loss to the Indiana Pacers , Oklahoma City Thunder 's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander doubled down on why he thinks Chet Holmgren is an All-Star forward this season. Ahead of the NBA announcing the All-Star reserves for this year's game in Los Angeles , Holmgren is on pace to earn his first appearance.

Gilgeous-Alexander reflected on Holmgren's injury-riddled start to his NBA career, which began with Chet missing his entire rookie campaign. For Gilgeous-Alexander, injuries are the only reason Holmgren, in his third season, has never received an All-Star selection, a selection SGA believes will change next week.

"Chet's kind of been [hauled] by injuries in the past, or else he would have had a few under his belt already," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "But his impact in winning is second to none. And if you don't win, it doesn't matter. No matter what you're going for — from the GM to the owner, to the coach, to the players, to the fans–everyone wants to be part of a team that wins. And you adding Chet Holmgren to your group adds wins.

"You've seen it here firsthand. And he just continues to grow and get better with his skill and with his game. I'm not sure what his stats are, but it feels like he's having the best year of his career, offensively. Then, defensively, he's a monster. To me, it's a no-brainer. The guy should definitely be an All-Star."

If anything, SGA says the Thunder's league-leading 37-9 record means the defending champions should have at least two players at this year's All-Star Game, and that second player is undoubtedly Holmgren.

"We do have the best record in the league, to date," Gilgeous-Alexander added. "So, it probably would make sense to have more than one. I've never seen a one-man team have the best record in the league. So, yeah. Chet Holmgren ."

Gilgeous-Alexander was announced as a starter for the Western Conference last week.

Chet Holmgren gets All-Star praise from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

The Thunder failed to complete an 18-point comeback in a 117-114 loss to the Pacers, as Isaiah Joe 's 3-point attempt to send the game into overtime bounced off the rim at the Paycom Center on Friday. The Pacers handed the Thunder its third home loss before Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pointed to Chet Holmgren as a big reason the defending champions have way more wins than losses this season.

After a 111-91 blowout win against the Rockets , Gilgeous-Alexander talked about Holmgren deserving an All-Star selection this season.

"Chet is most definitely an All-Star," Gilgeous-Alexander told reporters . "From the moment he stepped foot on the court with the basketball team, we've been #1 in the West. That's no coincidence."

The NBA All-Star reserves will be officially announced on February 1.

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