Kevin Durant left, while Russell Westbrook and James Harden were traded away.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t just the reigning NBA MVP and the early star of the Finals — the Canadian-born guard is the new face of the Thunder and might never leave Oklahoma City.
SGA signed a five-year, $172 million rookie contract extension with the Thunder in 2021.
The new MVP could ink a historic four-year, $293m supermax extension this summer and the window for that potential deal opens July 6 and closes on October 20.
Gilgeous-Alexander was in Allen Iverson territory as Game 3 of the Finals approached on Wednesday, pouring in a combined 72 points in Games 1 and 2 as OKC evened the series at 1-1 against Tyrese Haliburton‘s Indiana Pacers.
Durant and Westbrook won MVPs with the small-market Thunder, and scored more than 36,000 combined points for an organization that traded Seattle for Oklahoma City in 2008.
Gilgeous-Alexander is only 26, and his career earnings of $117 million are paltry when compared to the $447m that Durant has made while making 15 All-Star teams with the Thunder, Golden State Warriors, Brooklyn Nets and Phoenix Suns.
But SGA was three wins away from OKC immortality in the hours before Game 3, and he’s become the perfect replacement for a super-trio who failed to achieve a world championship that was widely expected.
Nick Gallo, TV sideline reporter for the Thunder, has covered Gilgeous-Alexander for years.
He described a gradual evolution as a twice-traded player became the most electric star in the 2024-25 NBA Finals.
“There’s never these like watershed moments with a guy like Shai and, most likely, there’s not with with many guys,” Gallo exclusively told talkSPORT.
“What Shai has done is, he has gotten better through every experience. Every time he comes back from a summer, every time you turn the calendar month, he’s better at something than he was the month before. I think this year is a perfect example.”
SGA has guided OKC back to to the NBA FinalsGetty He’s become increasingly familiar to basketball fansGetty GettyThe Thunder star mixes swagger with humility[/caption]At the core of SGA’s ascension has been his rare humility, which was passed down from parents with athletic backgrounds.
The 6ft 6in and 200lb guard with dynamic skills from the perimeter to the paint is refreshingly low-key off the hardwood.
For years, the NBA pushed superteams and superstars with enormous egos.
SGA has embraced OKC’s devoted fanbase, and a young roster that could dominate the league for years to come.
“He is one of the most humble, accessible, easygoing stars that you could ever possibly imagine,” Gallo said.
“This is a guy who — the word I like to use with him is, he’s breezy. But he has such a level of focus and concentration on his craft, and he brings such a work ethic to the table that he’s really a lead-by-example guy.
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“He will talk, he will encourage. And he’s definitely a connector of his group. But he’s not a demanding person in terms of, ‘You have to be like this. You have to be like me. You have to think like me.’
“He’s comfortable in his own skin. And I’ve heard many teammates talk about his comfort, and his comfort with other people being who they are really has allowed this thing to blossom.”
Durant decided that Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Steve Kerr were his best option for winning a ring, leaving behind nine years of hard work building up Oklahoma City.
Westbrook stayed and became the full-court face of the Thunder, stacking up nightly triple-doubles.
But his surrounding team was never good enough, and the 2016-17 NBA MVP was traded to the Rockets for Chris Paul in a blockbuster that was supposed to give Harden a championship in Houston.
Eight years later, SGA is a perfect fit for OKC, on and off the court.
“Jalen Williams and Shai, they have different personalities,” Gallo said.
“Chet Holmgren, they have different personalities. What they share in common is an incredible competitiveness, an incredible drive and intrinsic motivation.
Big power
Shai Gilgeous-AlexanderAge: 26Vitals: 6ft 6in, 200lb2024-25 stats: 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, 5 rebounds, 1.7 stealsHonors: NBA MVP, All-Star (3), All-NBA (3)Born: Toronto, CanadaDraft: No. 11 pick in 2018 (Charlotte Hornets)
“But they all are different and they feel empowered to be different. And a big factor in that is Shai, and the way that he operates and the way that he goes about his business.”
Sometimes that business is being the one basketball player in the world who can sink a shot on a huge stage at the perfect time.
“In the tight games — in the games where it’s 98-98 with 30 seconds left — you need two points,” Gallo said.
“Shai is a guy that can go get you two points.”
He can also become the superstar who joined OKC and realized that he was better off staying with the Thunder.
Game 3 of the NBA Finals is on Wednesday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
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