Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, meet the largest stage within the NBA.
Largest stage within the NBA, meet Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
This would be the first time you two get collectively, however it nearly definitely received’t be the final.
The NBA Finals will tip off Thursday night time when the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder host the Indiana Pacers. The matchup pits a pair of groups from small markets with massive desires, and all sides boasts star energy in Gilgeous-Alexander from the Thunder and Tyrese Haliburton from the Pacers.
Each side have loads of depth, too. It might not be shocking if another person from both crew stepped ahead to be the main scorer on any given night time.
However the perfect participant on the court docket will probably be Gilgeous-Alexander.
The 26-year-old may be one of many league’s least heralded superstars. That would change if he brings Oklahoma Metropolis its first NBA championship.
Consider it this manner: Sure, you recognize about SGA. Your whole basketball-loving buddies know all about SGA. However when you ask someone who isn’t that massive of a sports activities fan, may they inform you what SGA stands for? Might they inform you what crew he performs for? Might they inform you the place he went to school?
The NBA Finals may make Gilgeous-Alexander a family title in all places.
This season, he captured his first NBA MVP award whereas averaging 32.7 factors, 5 rebounds and 6.4 assists. He shot 51.9 % from the sector and likewise averaged 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per recreation.
In a league crammed with superb gamers, he earned 71 of the 100 first-place votes for MVP. Nikola Jokic acquired the opposite 29, whereas Giannis Antetokounmpo completed third within the voting.
Because of his management, the Thunder received 68 video games — the perfect mark of any crew in the course of the common season.
Now comes the massive stage.
Gilgeous-Alexander has a really actual likelihood to seize the regular-season MVP and the NBA Finals MVP award in the identical 12 months. No one has completed that in additional than a decade, and it will launch him to a different degree of star energy.
The final participant to tug off the feat was LeBron James, who took residence regular-season and Finals MVP honors in back-to-back seasons in 2011–12 and 2012–13.
Solely 10 gamers have received each awards in the identical season. Try the names:
Willis Reed (1969–70)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1970–71)
Moses Malone (1982–83)
Larry Chicken (1983–84, 1985–86)
Magic Johnson (1986–87)
Michael Jordan (1990–91, 1991–92, 1995–96, 1997–98)
Hakeem Olajuwon (1993–94)
Shaquille O’Neal (1999–00)
Tim Duncan (2002–03)
LeBron James (2011–12, 2012–13)
Speak about family names.
Simply say “LeBron,” and anyone in your classroom, workplace or neighborhood block social gathering will know precisely whom you’re speaking about. Similar goes for “Shaq,” “Hakeem,” “MJ,” “Magic” or “Chicken” — the listing goes on.
Possibly 10 or 20 years from now, the identical will probably be true when somebody says “SGA.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has loads working in opposition to him on the subject of mega-stardom.
For one, he doesn’t play on a coast for an iconic franchise just like the Lakers, Knicks or Celtics. Let’s face it — these are the sorts of groups that seize a disproportionate quantity of nationwide headlines, and we’d be having a a lot completely different dialog about Gilgeous-Alexander if he performed close to Hollywood, South Seashore or Instances Sq..
Character performs an element, too. Gilgeous-Alexander may offer you an ideal, in-depth reply about studying a protection, however he’s not flashy. He has pursuits exterior of basketball, however he’s not going to make postgame interviews all about himself or his model.
So he’s a comparatively quiet participant in a comparatively quiet market.
He’s additionally extremely gifted.
And he’s simply 4 wins away from his first (of a number of?) championships.
He’s simply 4 wins away from nearly all people figuring out his title.
