Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 4 wins away from main his Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder to an NBA championship and placing a bow on one of many single most unimaginable seasons in league historical past.
A title, and maybe a Finals MVP award, would cap off an 84-win season that additionally noticed him lead the league in scoring and convey house the common season MVP award, all of which probably wouldn’t be doable if he didn’t do such an excellent job taking after his favourite participant of all time.
Throughout a current press convention forward of Sport 2 of the NBA Finals, SGA mentioned, “That’s in all probability my favourite participant of all time” when requested about fallen Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
“That is in all probability my favourite participant of all time.”
— SGA on Kobe Bryant
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)pic.twitter.com/UNoCohACX7
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 8, 2025
When watching Gilgeous-Alexander manipulate his means by means of a protection and bury one fading midrange jumper after one other together with his gangly 6’6″ body, it’s simple to see the affect that Bryant will need to have had on him throughout his early life.
It has been a historic season for him to date, however within the phrases of the nice Black Mamba, “the job’s not completed,” and OKC has 4 extra video games to win to convey house its first title since 1979 when it was nonetheless the Seattle SuperSonics.
He had a robust displaying in Sport 1 of the Finals when his Thunder blew a double-digit lead within the fourth quarter and finally misplaced because of yet one more game-winner from Tyrese Haliburton with 0.3 seconds left, although SGA missed a reasonably simple midrange jumper within the final 30 seconds that would have put the sport away and gotten him to 40 factors on the evening.
We’ll see if SGA can channel his inside Mamba on Sunday for Sport 2 and keep away from the dreaded 0-2 gap.
NEXT: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Makes Playoff Historical past After Particular Finals Debut