Gonzaga Professional Athletes

Two Gonzaga alumni are making noise this NBA offseason — one chasing Olympic glory, the other fighting to stick on an NBA roster.

Holmgren Sets His Sights on LA 2028

Chet Holmgren isn't done with his summer ambitions. The Oklahoma City Thunder center has made no secret of his desire to represent Team USA at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, a stage that would put him on home soil in front of a global audience. Holmgren was already in the conversation — he was part of the 41-player finalist pool for the 2024 Paris Olympics — so the aspiration isn't a long shot. It's a declaration of intent.

At 7-foot with a rare combination of shot-blocking, perimeter shooting, and playmaking feel, Holmgren is exactly the profile USA Basketball has leaned into in recent roster cycles. If he continues his development trajectory in OKC, he'll be 24 years old and potentially entering his prime when the Olympics tip off at home. For Gonzaga fans, the prospect of watching a Bulldog anchor Team USA in Los Angeles is very real.

Smith Bets on Himself in Toronto

Meanwhile, Malachi Smith is grinding for a different kind of opportunity. The former Gonzaga guard — who had a brief stint with the Brooklyn Nets — has signed a training camp deal with the Toronto Raptors, putting himself in the mix for a roster spot heading into the 2026–27 season.

Training camp deals are what they sound like: no guarantees, just a chance to perform. But Smith has made a habit of earning his opportunities since leaving Spokane. Toronto's offseason roster situation gives him at least a credible path to competing for minutes. The Raptors have been in a deliberate rebuild, which means the door is more open than it might be on a contender.

For Smith, this is about proving he belongs — not as a project, but as a legitimate NBA contributor. Gonzaga has a long track record of developing players who don't get handed anything in the pros, and Smith fits that mold.

The Bigger Picture for Gonzaga

These two moves underscore something consistent about the Gonzaga pipeline: its alumni don't just reach the NBA, they keep fighting to stay relevant in it. Holmgren is the marquee name — a potential franchise cornerstone and now an Olympic hopeful — but Smith's willingness to take a training camp deal rather than head overseas reflects the same competitive drive that made him a Bulldog.

Gonzaga currently counts 15 active NBA alumni across the league, from Domantas Sabonis in Sacramento to Andrew Nembhard in Indiana. The program's footprint in the league is substantial. But this week, the spotlight belongs to Holmgren's long-range ambition and Smith's short-term bet on himself. Both are worth watching when the 2026–27 season gets underway.

Two Gonzaga alumni dominated NBA headlines this week for starkly different reasons — one facing a murky professional future, the other receiving a posthumous measure of financial justice.

Chet Holmgren's Thunder Tenure Under Threat

Chet Holmgren entered the league as one of Oklahoma City's crown jewels, but his long-term future with the Thunder is looking increasingly complicated — and Victor Wembanyama is a central reason why.

With the Spurs' franchise center establishing himself as arguably the league's most dominant young big man, the Thunder face a difficult calculus: locking Holmgren into a max extension would represent a massive financial commitment to a player who, by the positional comparison alone, may not project as a true cornerstone. According to The Sporting News, Wembanyama's success has directly jeopardized Holmgren's chances at a max deal, threatening Oklahoma City's financial flexibility at a pivotal roster-building moment.

Trade speculation has followed. One scenario floated by The Sporting News would send Holmgren out of Oklahoma City in a deal involving Jalen Duren — a package framed around acquiring an elite shooter on a $112 million contract. The Thunder, who have built one of the NBA's deepest young rosters, may decide Holmgren is the movable piece that unlocks a more versatile lineup.

None of this is a done deal. But the fact that OKC's front office is being publicly linked to Holmgren trade scenarios — rather than a straightforward extension — signals the kind of uncertainty that rarely resolves quietly. For Gonzaga fans who watched Holmgren dazzle in Spokane, it's a disorienting moment: their guy is on a championship-caliber team but may not be part of its future.

Brandon Clarke's Estate to Receive Full $12.5M Insurance Payout

On a more solemn note, the estate of the late Brandon Clarke — the former Memphis Grizzlies forward who passed away — is set to receive the full $12.5 million remaining on his NBA contract through a life insurance disbursement, according to reports from Yahoo Sports.

"Brandon's contract was fully protected," a source told Yahoo Sports, confirming that Clarke's family and estate will not be left short by his passing. The payout covers the salary he was owed for the upcoming season, ensuring that what Clarke earned on the court carries forward to those he left behind.

Clarke was a beloved figure both in Memphis and in the Gonzaga community — a versatile, high-motor big who was as known for his selflessness as his athleticism. The confirmation of his full insurance payout won't ease the grief, but it represents the league honoring its commitment to a player who gave everything during his time in it.

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Two Gonzaga bigs. Two very different headlines. One is navigating the cold arithmetic of NBA roster construction; the other's legacy is being honored in the only tangible way still available. Both stories deserve the attention of anyone who followed the Bulldogs' rise into one of college basketball's premier programs.

The Hardest News First

The story that hung over the NBA community all summer finally has an official answer — and it doesn't make the loss any easier.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed this week that Brandon Clarke, the Memphis Grizzlies forward and Gonzaga product, died on May 11 from accidental drug toxicity. Heroin and cocaine were both found in his system, according to the coroner's report. Clarke was found unresponsive at a Los Angeles residence and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Clarke was 28 years old. A second-round pick out of Gonzaga in 2019, he carved out a reputation as one of the league's most efficient frontcourt contributors — a rim-running, shot-blocking force who posted career highs across several categories before a 2022 Achilles tear derailed his trajectory. He was, by every account from coaches and teammates, one of the better humans in the locker room.

The manner of death — accidental, not self-inflicted — closes the official inquiry, but the grief around Clarke runs deeper than any coroner's report. He was a beloved figure in Spokane and Memphis alike, and his passing in May sent a visible shockwave through the league. The Gonzaga community lost one of its own.

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Around the Rest of the Zag NBA Roster

While nothing else from this week approaches that weight, Gonzaga's NBA footprint is large and active.

Domantas Sabonis remains the most trade-discussed Zag in the league. New reports confirm the Sacramento Kings held substantive conversations with the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Hornets, and Toronto Raptors about moving the All-Star big man this summer — with at least one deal coming "incredibly close" to completion. Sabonis reportedly would have been open to a change of scenery. The Kings ultimately held him, but with top pick Darius Acuff Jr. arriving and Sacramento recalibrating its long-term direction, Sabonis's future in Sacramento remains an open question heading into 2026–27.

Rui Hachimura made one of the offseason's stranger lateral moves, crossing town from the Lakers to the Clippers. Hachimura addressed the transition publicly this week, acknowledging the unusual nature of staying in Los Angeles while switching franchises. He'll look to carve out a larger role with the Clippers after his fit in L.A. with the Lakers grew complicated over time.

Chet Holmgren got candid about Oklahoma City's offseason personnel changes, addressing the Thunder's notable departures with characteristic directness. Holmgren, still just 24, is poised to be the cornerstone of OKC's next competitive iteration regardless of who's beside him.

And in the most pleasant footnote of the week: Kelly Olynyk is in Paris with the Spurs, joining Victor Wembanyama and other teammates for offseason workouts. The veteran big keeps finding ways to be in the right place at the right time — even if that place is now across the Atlantic.

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Gonzaga has more NBA alumni in circulation than most programs in the country. This week, that number carried both immense pride and immense sorrow.