Chet Holmgren Looks More Like Abraham Lincoln With Each Passing Day
By Liam McKeone
Chet Holmgren has been outstanding for the Oklahoma City Thunder in his first NBA season on the court and only the existence of a 7-foot-6 basketball mutant in San Antonio will prevent him from taking home Rookie of the Year honors. His play is unimpeachable otherwise. The Gonzaga product is averaging 16.6 points, 7.9 rebounds, and 2.4 blocks per game while shooting 37 percent from the three-point line. His presence in the paint and ability to stretch the floor has catapulted OKC to contention way ahead of schedule, in tandem with an MVP season from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. SGA is the team's superstar but Holmgren makes everything work on both ends.
This freaking guy also looks a lot like Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States. I am obviously not the first person to have this thought. But Holmgren has let his hair grow out quite a bit as the season has gone on and now, more than ever, the resemblance is uncanny.
He really is a dead ringer. Tall, skinny in both the body and the face, a grizzly beard to go with equally-proportioned hair. Give the man a top hat and he'll never have to buy another Halloween costume for the rest of his life.
Observe!
The beard is what really makes the resemblance uncanny. When Holmgren is clean-shaven you don't really see it other than a vaugely similar facial structure. But the beard changes everything. Especially earlier this season, when he was still growing it in and ended up with the same length of beard Big Abe wore in most portraits.
Once more: observe!
I am unsure what you will do with this information, reader. I am merely here to point it out. And perhaps prepare you for the inevitable silly ESPN graphic that will come from the production team when the playoffs start in a few weeks. I can already see the caption now: "Four scores and seven threes ago...."
Anyway. When does the postseason get here?