Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tips cap to LeBron James after unprecedented playoff run

LeBron James gave it his all in the Western Conference Semifinals against Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Oklahoma City Thunder, but the defending champions were too much for the Los Angeles Lakers to overcome, especially with Luka Doncic sidelined due to a hamstring injury.

The Thunder completed their 4-0 sweep of the Lakers on Monday night in Los Angeles, taking down LeBron and Co. 115-110 in Game 4 to advance to the Western Conference Finals in back-to-back seasons for the first time in franchise history since relocating to Oklahoma City.

Although the series was over quickly, the Lakers fought hard, specifically LeBron. At 41 years old and wrapping up his 23rd season in the NBA, James averaged 23.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 50.0 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from 3-point range against the Thunder in this series.

Looking back on this matchup against the Lakers, Gilgeous-Alexander couldn’t help but marvel at LeBron’s abilities this late in his career.

“It’s amazing what he’s doing out there at this age. It’s very impressive,” Gilgeous-Alexander said of LeBron on Monday evening. “It’s hard to put into words. He’s not very old in the grand scheme of life, but for the NBA, he’s pretty old. He was a force. He was at the top of the scouting report all series. His size gave us issues at times. He was impressive out there.

“I’m not sure we’ll see anything like that again — his longevity and his greatness for this long.”

It is clear that the reigning league MVP, and likely soon-to-be two-time MVP, has an enormous amount of respect for James, as does the rest of the league.

Many young players in the league today, like Gilgeous-Alexander, watched the early portions of LeBron’s career growing up, and now they are competing on the same court as him in the playoffs, with a championship on the line. To still be in the league, let alone performing at this high a level, is simply incredible.

Along with Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault also shared his appreciation for James postgame.

“What he’s doing at this stage of his career is remarkable. Just the fact that he’s playing at this stage of his career is remarkable,” Daigneault stated. “And he is a guy that, you know, similar to what I said about the team collectively, it’s like if you make a mistake on him, he’s going to make you pay for it and it actually helps you improve.

“I just have the deepest respect for him. Obviously, his career speaks for itself, but being up close and competing against him was a privilege, and like I said, deep respect for him and the rest of their team.”

After losing on Monday night and being swept in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career, all questions surrounding LeBron turn to whether he will continue playing and, if so, with the Lakers.

James will enter this offseason as an unrestricted free agent for the first time since joining the Lakers in 2018, and the only thing the NBA world knows he wants is a winning situation. Will that be in Los Angeles, or will LeBron finish his career elsewhere? No matter the case, LeBron has proven that he is still a top player in this league, even at 41 years old.

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