Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's rise is starting to mirror his new NBA playoff foe LeBron James
LeBron James won his first two MVPs in Years 6 and 7. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won his first MVP in Year 7, and he’s about to win another in Year 8. James won his first two NBA titles in Years 9 and 10.
If the Thunder repeats, SGA will have won his first two rings — like his first two MVPs — in Years 7 and 8. James is either the best or second-best player in the history of the game, and Gilgeous-Alexander, whose rise to stardom was much more gradual than James’, is pacing to be an all-time great himself. With Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets out of the playoffs, we can all agree that SGA is the best player remaining in the postseason.
James, 14 years SGA’s elder, used to hold that title annually. Gilgeous-Alexander was asked about James on the eve of Game 1 of Thunder-Lakers — a series that will pit two greats in diverging stages of their careers. “We can sit here all day and talk about things he’s done for the game,” SGA said Monday.
“The guy’s one of the best players to ever pick up a basketball, like in the history of human beings. ” Since James Naismith figured out a way to repurpose a peach basket. “You guys don’t need me to sit here and tell you how great of a player LeBron James is … obviously he’s a little bit out of his prime, but he’s still very, very capable,” SGA said.
CARLSON: Father of Time? OKC Thunder knows LeBron James playing at elite level at 41 Marcus Smart leads former OSU Cowboys in NBA playoff games Marcus Smart has been a playoff mainstay ever since the Celtics selected the former Oklahoma State guard with the sixth pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. In 12 NBA seasons, the 32-year-old has played in 10 postseasons.
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