Does Chet Holmgren really have a new cornrows hairstyle ahead of NBA Finals? Viral rumors debunked

On Saturday, a photo of OKC Thunder center Chet Holmgren sporting cornrows went viral ahead of the NBA Finals, sparking a frenzy online. The image led many to question whether the hairstyle was real or digitally altered. Based on the available evidence circulating online, here’s what we know so far.

The picture of Chet Holmgren sporting the Cornrows was first shared by the NBA parody account NBA Centel on X (formerly Twitter). The image was captioned with a four-word caption, which read:

“Chet Holmgren’s new look 💈”

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This post quickly spread online as NBA channels re-shared the image with a similar caption. NBA media website Hoops Alert was seen sharing the image on Instagram before another sports account, Full Court, posted the picture on Facebook. The rapid resharing of the image created a viral frenzy online.

However, with NBA Centel being the source of the image, the credibility of the post needed to be questioned and it was. A fan was spotted questioning Grok, X's (formerly Twitter) inbuilt AI, whether the picture was real.

"@grok is this real," he queried.

The self-proclaimed "smartest AI" quickly debunked the picture, explaining the lack of proof of Holmgren's new hairdo.

"The image of Chet Holmgren with cornrows posted by @TheNBACentel appears real but lacks verification from credible sources like Holmgren’s official accounts or the Oklahoma City Thunder. @TheNBACentel’s history of satirical posts raises doubts about its authenticity," the response read.

Furthermore, the length and the thickness of the cornrows in the photo do not match Holmgren's known hairstyle. The center was recently seen speaking to the media on May 31, sporting his usual short haircut. It would be physically impossible for him to grow out his hair in two days, let alone style it into shoulder-length cornrows.

With that said, the post did reference Holmgren's love for black culture, as he has previously donned a durag and expressed his love for ox-tails.

Chet Holmgren expresses his views on his team's playoff performance so far, as the Thunder await the Pacers' test

Thunder star Chet Holmgren made an appearance in front of the media on Saturday, as he discussed his team's preparation for the NBA Finals. The center was asked about various subjects, including his team's playoff performance so far.

"Chet, each of these three series has tested you and challenged you in different ways ... what do you feel like you guys have got most out of the 16 games you played?" a reporter questioned. (From 00:00 onwards)

Holmgren expressed his views on the matter, claiming every game offered them a "different challenge."

"I feel like every single game gave us a different challenge, a different look, and a different thing to learn from ... we did a good job adjusting and continue to play our stuff," he replied.

The Thunder beat the Timberwolves in five games and received additional days to rest as the Pacers and Knicks battled for supremacy in the East. They will now welcome the former to the Paycom Center on Thursday for Game 1 of the NBA Finals.

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About the author

Arian Kashyap

Arian Kashyap is a basketball journalist at Sportskeeda with over two years of experience at Essentially Sports and Spice Bite and a Bachelor's in Physical Education and Sports Sciences.

Arian's favorite team is the Miami Heat and it’s mainly down to Dwyane Wade being his favorite player of all time. Arian loved how explosive Wade was as a player and he had all the attributes, whether that be shooting, defending or passing. Arian really liked how he won titles both with and without a dynasty behind him.

Arian has also worked with Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools and was the manager for a Delhi-based women’s team called Garwhal Untied. Garwhal won the Delhi league and were runners-up during his tenure.

Arian has judged essay writing competitions for the Commonwealth Students Welfare Group of India in 2023 and was a part of the U-14 team for the Bhaichung Bhutia Football Schools academy that qualified for the AIFF Round in 2023.

When not working or watching sports, Arian likes riding his motorcycle and reading.

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