"Gonna be interesting": Victor Wembanyama embraces upcoming battles against Chet Holmgren after stellar showdown

Victor Wembanyama and Chet Holmgren's first meeting in the NBA preseason delivered a number of entertaining moments between the two. As both men look to make a splash in the league, it seems as though fans are poised to watch a number of entertaining battles between the two in the years to come.

While Chet Holmgren and the OKC Thunder took home the first win, Wembanyama is excited for everything to come.

While speaking to media members after the game, the French superstar spoke about the clash. After the Thunder mounted an impressive comeback heading into halftime and then carried the momentum through to a one-point win, fans were quick to debate the clash.

With Wembanyama and Holmgren both possessing similar skill sets, and both playing in their rookie years, the two men could be the modern-day Shaq and Alonzo Mourning. The two big men spent the early stages of their careers battling it out with one another, much like Wembanyama and Holmgren are expected to.

Following their first clash, Wembanyama spoke about the pair's future clashes:

"I was feeling good, I was feeling like I had a lot of energy so it was good. I feel like [Chet Holmgren] hurt us in the first half. I know it's just preseason but for sure the games against OKC are gonna be interesting."

Gregg Popovich reflects on Victor Wembanyama's first preseason game after narrow loss

As Chet Holmgren told media members following the game, he and Victor Wembanyama actually competed against one another in FIBA several years back. Heading into their NBA preseason clash earlier this week, the pair knew that they were going to generate a tremendous amount of fan interest in their battle.

In their closely-fought battle, Chet Holmgren scored 21 points and hauled down nine rebounds in 16 minutes. On the flip side, Victor Wembanyama scored 20 points and hauled down five rebounds in 19 minutes.

After the game, Gregg Popovich spoke to media members to give his thoughts on the clash between the two, praising both men for their skills.

“I thought they went at each other a couple of times. It was interesting," he said. "It shows their character, their competitiveness. And they did it within reason. Neither one was shooting a horrible shot to try to do the other one in or anything. It was basic basketball that the basketball gods would agree with. They’re gonna be a lot of fun for everybody to watch over their careers.”

The two men won't meet in the preseason again this year, however, they will clash four times during the regular season. The first meeting between the pair in the regular season will take place on November 14th, with fans then forced to wait until 2024 to see them compete.

The remaining three matchups between Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama will take place on January 24, February 29, and April 10. Whether or not we get a playoff battle between the two in the Western Conference remains to be seen.