LeBron James drops comparison between Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and James Harden

The NBA world is ever-changing, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is making headlines for the Oklahoma City Thunder. This has prompted LeBron James to make comparisons between Gilgeous-Alexander and James Harden, noting how similar the two players are, in a recent interview with the Mind the Game podcast.

"You gotta keep him off the free-throw line. Which is hard… He knows how to manipulate the game in a good way… How James [Harden] was when he was dominant in Houston."

LeBron James on the game plan for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

(via @mindthegamepod)pic.twitter.com/CTheEr6OrO

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) December 24, 2025

James stated that Gilgeous-Alexander knows how to dominate by capitalizing on the way the game is played. He said that Gilgeous-Alexander plays similarly to how James Harden used to play. Additionally, he stated that the 12-13 free throws Gilgeous-Alexander gets help the Thunder reach greater heights. James added that teams need to be disciplined when playing against Gilgeous-Alexander.

Gilgeous-Alexander is having a fantastic season, averaging 32.5 points per game. He is also shooting 55.7% from the floor, including 43.5% from beyond the arc. Through his leadership, the Thunder are once again dominating the NBA. But there have been cracks in the foundation.

Though Gilgeous-Alexander had 33 points on 14 of 22 shooting against the San Antonio Spurs, he only had four free-throw attempts. As James stated, the Spurs stayed disciplined and did not send Gilgeous-Alexander to the free-throw line that often. It was one of the few times all season that he did not have many chances.

James referenced Harden’s days with the Houston Rockets. For context, Harden averaged 11 free throws per game in his final season in Houston. Comparably, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 8.8 free-throw attempts last season for the Thunder, and 9.4 so far this season. Of course, the one thing Gilgeous-Alexander did that Harden could not do was lead the Thunder to an NBA Title. Though Harden came close, losing, ironically, to James and the Miami Heat in the 2013 NBA Finals.

Gilgeous-Alexander and James will both be playing on Christmas Day, while Harden will not. The Thunder will get a rematch with the Spurs, while the Los Angeles Lakers will host Kevin Durant and the Houston Rockets.

The post LeBron James drops comparison between Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and James Harden appeared first on ClutchPoints.