Oklahoma City Thunder‘S 103-91 wins On Sunday, NBA Final’s Game 7 was a collective coronation for the franchise, which won its first title after joining OKC.
It was also a coronation for the star guard Shay Gilgius-AlexanderWho became only the fifth player with only 29 points to one of the most successful personal sessions in NBA history and 12 in the finals, with 20–10 performances in the final game 7.
In the 2024–25 campaign, Gilgas-Alexander won the scoring title, MVP and championship, while leading his team for the best point difference. And he may soon end this amazing year by signing four years, $ 293.4 million extension, which will give him the highest average salary in the history of the game.
Gilgeous-Aexander is still just 26 years old, but he is rapidly increasing the list of great people of all time. He and Karim Abdul-Jabbar are the only player in the NBA history to win the MVP, the final MVP and a scoring title until the age of 26. (Bob Petit will also have this Trfecta, but the final MVP award was not present until he was the best player on St. Louis Hawks, who won the title in 1958.)
On its historical achievement and the crowning moment of Oklahoma City, let’s analyze the amazing climbing of Gilzius-Alexander, renovated heritage and lofty statistical comps.
SGA passed NBA legends on the path of title
To reach this NBA peak, Gilgius-Alexander had to face Auds for a long time. She was the recruitment of 30th rank in her high school class, behind 10 possibilities, who did not make it in NBA. In his loan college season, he was not even the highest scoring freshman in his team, finished second behind Future Lottery Bust Kevin Knoc II,
And although Gilgeous-Aexander himself was a lottery pick, at number 11, he was traded twice in his first year as an NBA player: on the first draft night, as Charlotte Hornets Flip her rights La clippers For Miles bridgesAnd then in the following summer, as part of the return of Oklahoma City Paul GeorgeDespite being impressed in his first NBA season, he only made another team all-road, as Marwin Bagle III Caught the last place in the first team.
SGA is not the most vague MVP winner and champion. Just this decade, Nikola Jokik (which was drafted in the second round) and Gianis antatoconampo (Who stumbled in playing basketball as a teenager in Greece) defeated him.
But for the indication of how far Gilgas-Alexander has crossed the expectations, note that during the 2018 previous process, ESPN chose Sean Livingston and Patrick McCow as his compas-two players who have never averages dual-digit points in their careers. (Both Livingstone and McCow were coming out of the championship win with Warriors in 2018.)
Seven years later, Gilgus-Alexander is a certain hall of fame, even if he never plays another game. Deric Rose is the only retired MVP in Rose League history that is not in the hall, and Gilgas-Alexander’s resume said Rose, who never formed another All-NBA team after his success in 2011.
The more notable is how the league now takes measures against many best players in history. Compared to the NBA’s 75th anniversary teams, they already have several first-Tim All-NBA nodes (three) as Isiah Thomas, Steve Nash, Alan Earsn and Tiny Erchball. And SGA is more than the Lenny Wilcense, Russell WestbrookDwayne Wade, John StocktonGary Pater, Peat marvichEarl Monroe, Regi Miller, Damian lillardSam Jones, Hell Greece, Dave bing And re allen.
In other words, gilgeous-alxander is not just a certain hall of fame, but a top-50-ya player, it depends on how the extreme value weighs against the overall career value. At the age of 26, he does not have the overall count statistics that are many of the above legends.
Nevertheless, first-second, and fifth place MVP Finnish, Gilgus-Alexander is already in 35th in Career MVP Awards shares-a measure of a percentage of possible votes received by a player. Another decent season MVP shares will put it in the top 30 in the top 30 on the share leaderboard. Two more strong weather will probably push it into the top 20.
SGA’s highest scoring skills
Gilgus-Alexander is a well-round star-he led the league in the theft in the previous season-but his biggest skill is scoring. He is now one of the 15 players in the history of NBA, which is an average of at least 30 points in three different sessions.
The Thunder Guard scored his impressive volume with aristocratic efficiency, thanks to their midrange mastery, the ability to eliminate the clever and change his many free throw efforts in about 90% clip. Gilgeous-Aexander and Adrian Dentley are the only players in NBA’s history, with at least three season 30 points per game 62% or better True shoots.
Given, scoring efficiency is more than ever, so the real shoot of Gilgius-Alexander is partially reflection of league reference. But that development only means that he has taken advantage of his surroundings, which has become one of the most efficient high-length scorers ever.
Gilgus-Alexander Excel among all the most important sports types in modern NBA. In the last three sessions, he is in second place out of 128 players per geniusic, with at least 300 isolation per ISO points. He ranks fourth of the 100 players with at least 1,500 screen as ball handler in pick pic. ,Indiana Pacers guard Tieres haliburton Both categories are first.) And Gillgas-Alexander is the undisputed driving king of the League, which is the lead in that category every season; In the last half decade, it exceeds the second place over 1,000 total drives before the second place. Luca donic,
High point yoga does not always go to hand with Postsen Triumph; Michael Jordan did not win a championship in her three highest scoring sessions. Nevertheless, Gilgius-Alexander has added that personal success with the success of the team. Since the invention of the shot watch, only Gillgas-Alexander, Jordan (six times), Shakeel O’Neel and Karim Abdul-Jabbar have won the scoring title and championship in the same season.
And SGA defeated him in real scoring: In the regular season of 2024-25, his 32.7 points per game are the highest for any player in NBA history who won a championship in that season, which increased Jordan’s 32.6 points per game in 1992-93.
Gilgeous-Aexander also defeated Jordan at the highest use rate for a champion, which was 34.7% at 34.7% of Jordan in 1992–93.
Talking about Jordan, because his name has come in these lists of historical comps, here is a completely sacred chart, compared to the previous three sessions of Jordan from 1991 to 1993, compared to the last three sessions of Jordan to the most successful three sessions run by a guard in NBIB history.
Jordan won three titles in this span, one of the Gilgas-Alexander, of course, and he was a better defender, with an all-defensive first-team honor in each of the three sessions. But on crime, their number is equally the same, including the same point-point-game figures, down to the decimal point, and the accurate league-susceptible efficiency figure.
What’s next for SGA’s legacy?
Amidst the perfect celebration of the wider roster construction of Oklahoma City, with all the clever trades, the presence of unspecified search and clever extension, the presence of Gilgus-Alexander seems to be almost underlined.
Still imagine, for a moment, a world in which Thunder pulled the same George blockbuster without any Giles-Alexander. A team with Jalen Williams, Chet holmagrain And a bruising of the pics will still be full of promise – but whether the multi -class recurrence of the thunder will be better, says, a western conference version of a western conference version Orlando magicAs young emerging stars with Williams and Holmagren, a bring Paolo bachero And Franz Wagner,
They will certainly not be NBA champions with the best regular-region point difference in league history. Depth and youth are very funny, but eventually, a MVP-tier talent is required to win the title, and this is the biggest advantage. Glasus-Alexander Thunder gives. That is the main reason that he vailed so quickly from rebuilding to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
However, all this should prove to be important to burn the inheritance of Gilgas-Alexander, to say nothing to improve the depth and young, sidkix Williams and Holmagrains rapidly. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, as SGA will require more championships, essentially more championships, to increase the all -time ranks of NBA. This is a difficult task in modern NBA, with a record seven separate champions in seven years. But Oklahoma City is the best deployed team from mid -2010 Golden State Warriors To use your first title To start a dynasty,
NBA fans have been spoiled by many all-time great people in recent years, Jokik, Antatoconum and of course, Lebron James And Stephen Curry Winning the title and several MVP Trophy. It is too early to place Gilgas-Alexander on your historical pedestal.
Nevertheless, given their puberty, achievements to date and the opportunity for the success of the team, this pedestal is for him.
