The San Antonio Spurs and OKC Thunder got into a scuffle during their 2026-27 NBA season opener against each other.
The Spurs are hoping to prove that they didn’t need the Thunder to be wrecked with injuries to beat them in the Conference Finals in their full-strength matchup against OKC on opening night.
Regardless of the outcome, everyone can see that this young Western Conference rivalry is bound to grow from strength to strength after a heated altercation between De’Aaron Fox and Chet Holmgren at the start of the second quarter.
De’Aaron Fox tossing Chet Holmgren during scuffle has left NBA fans stunned
During an attempted pass to the 7’1″ Holmgren, the 6’3″ guard Fox decided the most effective way of stopping the mismatch would be to pull Holmgren down, but he wound up tossing the Thunder big man to the ground with visible force.
While Fox did deserve the Flagrant 1 foul he received for that aggressive foul, the way Holmgren went flying is the main takeaway from most fans who saw the interaction.
“Chet just got ragdolled by a 6’3″ PG,” said one bemused fan.
“The way Chet acts, you’d never believe he’s a 7-footer,” lamented a fan.
“How you gonna let a guard throw you like that, Chet?” questioned a stunned fan.
“Chet is still soft as ever, I see,” said one fan after the interaction.
“How does Chet even get tossed like that by De’Aaron Fox?” questioned another fan.
Fox is listed as a 6’3″ point guard who weighs 185 pounds, compared to Holmgren, who is a 7’1″ power forward/center who weighs 208 pounds.
Even if Holmgren is not as heavy as most of his counterparts at his size and position, he still outweighs Fox by over 10 pounds while being substantially taller. The optics of Holmgren being shoved to the ground that easily by a guard are just very ugly.
Thankfully, Holmgren and the Thunder can potentially move on from this situation with a win, as they are currently leading the Spurs 65-44 at halftime. Holmgren has eight points and two blocks, while Fox has four points, four rebounds and two assists.
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