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Kendrick Perkins rips Thunder star Chet Holmgren after Game 7 failure

The NBA Playoffs have officially reached the NBA Finals. Saturday night brought the conference finals to a close as the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Western Conference champion Spurs will now face the Eastern Conference champion New York Knicks in a rematch of the 1999 NBA Finals.

The Thunder entered the postseason as heavy favorites not only to win the Western Conference, but also to capture the NBA championship. Led by reigning back-to-back NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Oklahoma City appeared poised for another deep playoff run. However, despite a valiant effort from Gilgeous-Alexander in Game 7, the rest of the Thunder roster failed to deliver.

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No player has faced more criticism for Oklahoma City’s Game 7 collapse than center Chet Holmgren. It was a night to remember for all the wrong reasons. Social media quickly flooded with memes and criticism aimed at Holmgren’s performance, while one of basketball’s most recognizable analysts publicly questioned his competitiveness.

Former NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins did not hold back while discussing the Spurs-Thunder series on SportsCenter.

“[Victor Wembanyama] straight up not only punked him but he took his heart, he snatched his soul. Chet Holmgren was scared to compete,” Perkins said in a massive indictment of Holmgren’s performance.

MORE: Victor Wembanyama earns rare LeBron James-level praise from Kendrick Perkins

Perkins wasn’t finished. Beyond criticizing Holmgren’s play, he suggested that the Thunder should consider moving on from the young big man altogether. His proposed replacement? Another former NBA champion who could potentially be available via trade.

“You gotta go find a guy like a Giannis [Antetokounmpo]… Chet Holmgren ain’t it,” Perkins said.

It was a disappointing performance for the 2026 NBA All-Star. Holmgren logged 33 minutes but finished with just four points, four rebounds, and a minus-three rating. In one of the most important games of his career, he failed to make a meaningful impact.

The loss did more than send the Spurs to the NBA Finals. It also ended Oklahoma City’s bid to repeat as NBA champions. In the aftermath, many fans have begun to wonder whether a potential Thunder dynasty saw its best opportunity slip away on its home court. For now, Holmgren and the Thunder enter the offseason left to wonder what might have been.

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