Count veteran NBA announcer Mike Breen among those who have nothing but respect for reigning NBA Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Breen recently talked about the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar point guard.

Breen gave the former Kentucky Wildcats his flowers for being just the perfect example of a franchise player, at least from his perspective.

“He's everything that you want the NBA to be about,” Breen said on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “He's everything you want in a franchise player in terms of his character, in terms of his leadership, in terms of his agenda and wanting to win, and then you take in his unbelievable talent and the efficient way he puts up all these numbers.”

Breen also seemingly defended the two-time MVP Gilgeous-Alexander from criticism about his style of play.

“He's obviously a winner, so I hate that so much is focused on the push-offs, on some of the drives, but I think the NBA did a great job this offseason, and kind of determining that ‘Yeah, some of that stuff's allowed as long as it's not forceful,'” the 65-year-old Breen added.

“He is everything that you want the NBA to be about. He is everything you want in a franchise player.”

Mike Breen with HIGH praise for Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 🗣️

(via @SiriusXMNBA) pic.twitter.com/lmZosEGrwl

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) November 4, 2026

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Gilgeous-Alexander is in his ninth season in the league, eighth with the Thunder, and he's been the leader of an Oklahoma City squad that has become a perennial NBA title contender. With SGA leading the team, the Thunder reached the top by winning the NBA championship in 2025, the franchise's first since relocating to Oklahoma City.

So far in the 2026-27 season, the 28-year-old Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 28.4 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists through seven games.