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Boardroom is a sports, media and entertainment brand co-founded by Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman and focused on the intersection of sports and entertainment. Boardroom’s flagship media arm features premium video/audio, editorial, daily and weekly newsletters, showcasing how athletes, executives, musicians and creators are moving the business world forward. Boardroom’s ecosystem encompasses B2B events and experiences (such as its renowned NBA and WNBA All-Star events) as well as ticketed conferences such as Game Plan in partnership with CNBC. Our advisory arm serves to consult and connect athletes, brands and executives with our broader network and initiatives.

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Chet Holmgren: The Red Carpet Interview

The second-overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft stopped by the red carpet in Brooklyn to speak with Boardroom.

Decked out in an all-black suit with a black shirt and a chain adorned with a pair of dice, Gonzaga giant Chet Holmgren towered over the NBA Draft red carpet Thursday at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center. While his swaggy look may have been unexpected, he landed just where he was supposed to later that night. Holmgren was selected No. 2 overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Holmgren graced Boardroom with his presence amid a mad red carpet rush to answer a few questions. Read below.

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Best fit at the 2022 NBA Draft:

I’m not sure if I’d draft my outfit No. 1. Man, I’m going to have to do some more research before I make my pick because we’ve got a lot of great suits here. I feel like this is one of the best draft classes, but I feel like everybody here is going to say they have the best fit on. I’d definitely say I’ve got a great one.

Chet Holmgren poses for photos on the red carpet during the 2022 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

What he would be doing if not for basketball:

I never thought that far. I’m a baller.

What he’s doing with his first $1 million (in this case, his second million):

I’m probably investing a good portion of it. I’ll probably end up having to buy a house or pay for an apartment, and then get a car. 

When he first thought he could make the NBA:

Probably sophomore year of high school is when I really got the realization that it’s realistic for me. 

Who he learned from the most at Gonzaga:

It was different people. I learned a lot from Coach [Mark] Few, but I also learned a lot from everybody else on the coaching staff as well as the players.

The Minnesota ballers that influenced him the most:

There’s been a lot of inspiration. Minnesota’s, for the last probably 10 years, had a lot of guys come out and play in the NBA. And being able to watch dudes like that from a young age — play in high school, then college, and then go to the NBA — definitely gave me a lot of inspiration to try and do so the same. Tyus and Tre, the Jones brothers, Jalen Suggs as well. I was playing with him all the way up until two years ago, and now he’s in the NBA. It’s crazy. There’s probably been 10 to 15 guys coming from Minnesota in the NBA.

Shlomo Sprung

Shlomo Sprung is a Senior Staff Writer at Boardroom. He has more than a decade of experience in journalism, with past work appearing in Forbes, MLB.com, Awful Announcing, and The Sporting News. He graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2011, and his Twitter and Spotify addictions are well under control. Just ask him.

About The Author
Shlomo Sprung
Shlomo Sprung
Shlomo Sprung is a Senior Staff Writer at Boardroom. He has more than a decade of experience in journalism, with past work appearing in Forbes, MLB.com, Awful Announcing, and The Sporting News. He graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2011, and his Twitter and Spotify addictions are well under control. Just ask him.