NBA Hall of Famer Ralph Sampson earned Rookie of the Year back in 1984, which means he knows a thing or two about the coveted award and what it takes to win it.
He recently weighed in on the current race for Rookie of the Year on SiriusXM NBA Radio and made a bold claim: he doesn’t think Chet Holmgren of the Oklahoma City Thunder should be in the running.
“I would fight against that if I was Wembanyama and Popovich,” Sampson said, per NBACentral.
Ralph Sampson says Chet Holmgren isn’t a real rookie
“I would fight against that if I was Wembanyama and Popovich”
(Via @SiriusXMNBA ) pic.twitter.com/F9oMRLQOpp
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 29, 2024
Sampson feels this way because Holmgren was drafted more than a year ago.
The Thunder selected him as the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and they were ready to have him impact the team right away.
But a nasty foot injury in the summer of 2022 sidelined him for the entire season and he wasn’t able to make his NBA debut until this season.
By league rules, that makes him a rookie.
And he’s been an incredible rookie too, averaging 17.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 7.8 assists.
Because of that, many people believe it’s a two-man race for Rookie of the Year, down to just Wembanyama and Holmgren.
Some people might feel it unfair that Holmgren can win this award even though it’s technically his second season.
But multiple other players have claimed this prize even after missing their first season.
Both Ben Simmons and Blake Griffin are recent examples of players who sat out of their first year only to win Rookie of the Year when they were finally healthy enough to play.
No matter what Sampson thinks, Holmgren is definitely in the running for Rookie of the Year.
But no matter who wins, it’s obvious that both he and Wembanyama could be the future of the league.
NEXT: Stephen A. Smith Says People Need To 'Stop Ignoring' 1 NBA Player