Former NBA head coach PJ Carlesimo believes Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has earned a place in the same conversation as Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant when it comes to the work ethic that helped make them all-time great players.

Carlesimo recently spoke with Kyle Odegard of NEXTPredict about Gilgeous-Alexander, who has won back-to-back NBA MVP awards and helped Oklahoma City capture the 2025 NBA championship.

“That’s why they get to where they are. The young guys would hate to hear from me. I’d say, ‘These guys are the best players in the world and they bust their ass all summer and come back with a better left hand or a better three-point shot, while you f—— are on the beach having a good time. When you come back, you can’t figure out why they are who they are,’” Carlesimo said.

“I don’t know him nearly as well as I knew a Kobe or a Michael or a LeBron, but SGA deserves to be in that category. I’d be shocked if he doesn’t continue to improve.”
Gilgeous-Alexander has already built one of the league's most accomplished résumés among active players, but Carlesimo does not believe the 28-year-old has reached his ceiling.

“The great players are never a finished product. Michael (Jordan) was always still improving. Maybe (Gilgeous-Alexander) can become a higher-percentage three-point shooter. I don’t know. I’m the last one to try and critique him. But for sure, he’s not done improving. I’ll be shocked if he’s not a better player three years from now than he is now, which is absurd.”

PJ Carlesimo labels Thunder team to beat in Western Conference

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Carlesimo also remains bullish on Oklahoma City following its seven-game Western Conference Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs last season.

“If someone said to me, who is the best team in the West? Healthy, it’s OKC. I love the Spurs, and a healthy Spurs will be unbelievable. And then if Denver gets close to healthy, sh–, the West is absurd,” Carlesimo said.

“You can make a convincing argument for any of those teams, but truth be told, you don’t put up the numbers OKC has put up the last two years, which includes winning a championship, and say they are not the team to beat.”

Oklahoma City will now attempt to return to the NBA Finals behind Gilgeous-Alexander after falling one series short of defending its championship. Carlesimo expects the Thunder star to continue evolving despite already establishing himself among the NBA's elite.