Chet Holmgren Says He Loves Miami Due to Empty Arena; Sparks Hilarious Trolling
Chet Holmgren's comments about Miami's empty arena sparked trolling from Heat fans, who humorously reminded him of their passionate support. The NBA rookie's remarks continue to stir playful banter. Read more.
![Image Courtesy: Twitter Image Courtesy: Twitter](https://www.pinkvilla.com/images/2024-07/866459287_whatsapp-image-2024-07-18-at-9-50-07-pm.jpg)
The rookie season of Chet Holmgren with the Oklahoma City Thunder was impressive. Playing in 82 regular season games, as a starter, he clocked in averages of 16.5 points, 7.9 rebounds,2.4 assists, 2.3 per game. The Western acknowledged Holmgren's remarkable performance by naming him Rookie of the Month for both November and December.
This season, Holmgren put on a stellar show against the Miami Heat. During the game that took place on March 8, 2024, he contributed 23 points to the Thunder's 128-120 victory over the Heat The Thunder, fueled by Holmgren, managed to distance themselves from the Heat with two significant second-half runs of 17-0 and 13-0. However, Holmgren should brace himself for a barrage of boos in this season's games at Kaseya Center as the star of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Fans react to Chet Holmgren's comments on Miami arena atmosphere
Chet Holmgren, a key player for the Oklahoma City Thunder, joined the 'Road Trippin'' podcast recently. When asked about his favored opposition stadiums to compete in, Holmgren named Miami Heat's home ground for a merciless reason.
“I like Miami, because it’s just like empty," Holmgren said, "… As the away team you just got to build that lead in the first three quarters and then it just stays quiet for the fourth.”
His comments didn't sit well with Heat fans who vented their feelings and mocked him online. Here are some of the standout responses.
In defense of Heat's fans, Holmgren, who missed his debut season due to injury, has only participated in a single regular season game in Miami throughout his NBA career, hence his small sample size. Heat fans are renowned for turning up the volume, especially when rallying against a shared opponent.
ALSO READ: Shaquille O’Neal Challenges Charles Barkley for Power Slap Showdown; Dana White Confirms Date
Miami Heat fans' reputation and player criticism
It's not the first this summer that a player has called out the Miami Heat's fan base. Heat's superstar, Jimmy Butler, pinpointed his concern about the same issue during a Complex interview last month.
To Butler, the fans' consistent late arrival is a letdown. "The worst part, to me, our fans never show up on time," Butler said. "They never show up on time. I was like, `Damn, I want it to be rocking like from the jump ball. Fans, come one, we need y'all."
The Heat fan's arrival is not a new criticism that can be traced back to the era of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh While the arena does fill up eventually during the first half, it typically takes longer than most other arenas.
The Heat's loyal fans have acquired a reputation for their late arrivals, especially during fair weather. One well-known incident that contributed to this was during the 2013 NBA Finals - many fans missed Ray Allen's game-tying three-pointer towards the end of Game 6 because they left early and couldn't re-enter.
Furthermore, not just at pivotal games, even at less consequential ones, Miami fans have a notorious history of getting to the arena late. Even their star player, Jimmy Butler, expressed his desire for fans to arrive earlier during games in a recent interview.
![](https://www.pinkvilla.com/assets/images/newsletter-icon.png)