Oklahoma City Thunder big man Chet Holmgren suffered a right iliac wing fracture during the first quarter of Sunday’s contest against the Golden State Warriors, the team announced late in the evening.
Holmgren is expected to return during the 2024-25 NBA season, and an update on his return-to-play protocol will be provided in 8-10 weeks.
The injury occurred on Sunday night in Oklahoma City when Holmgren contested a layup and attempted to block a shot from Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins. The two met face-to-face at the rim, where Holmgren lost his balance in the air and hit the court hard on his right hip. He immediately grabbed at his right hip area and had to be helped to the locker room without putting any weight on his right leg.
Further examination behind the scenes confirmed this rare pelvic injury. Essentially, an iliac wing fracture is a break in the ilium, which is considered to be the bony part of the pelvis at the front and on the side of the hip. A fracture in this area can take anywhere from several months to a year to fully recover. Depending on the severity of the fracture, this could even impact one's leg strength.
At this time, the Thunder do not have any major details on the extent of Holmgren's injury other than further evaluation and imaging confirming this right iliac wing fracture. There is no word yet on if his injury will require surgery.
This is a devastating loss for the Thunder, a team many picked to represent the Western Conference in the 2025 NBA Finals before the season began. Without Holmgren, Oklahoma City will be very limited in their frontcourt, especially with new addition Isaiah Hartenstein being sidelined with a hand fracture he suffered in the preseason.
Without Holmgren and Hartenstein, the Thunder will be severely lacking in size. It is also worth noting that the team is still without Jaylin Williams on their bench due to a hamstring injury. As a result, Luguentz Dort, Jalen Williams, and possibly Ousmane Dieng will see increased minutes in frontcourt roles.
All three of Oklahoma City's regular options at the center position are now out with injuries, leaving this team super vulnerable in the paint and on the interior. It is possible that the Thunder will seek an injury exception from the NBA in order to add some frontcourt help before Williams or Hartenstein return.
Holmgren will be sidelined indefinitely, with no updates being provided on his status for the remainder of the season until early in January. A return before the All-Star break in February from this hip injury would be quite the surprise for Holmgren and Oklahoma City.
The Thunder currently finds themselves at 8-2 on the season after losing 127-116 to the Warriors on Sunday night. They are tied for first place in the conference with Golden State and the Phoenix Suns.
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