Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn't the vocal, in-your-face, trash-talking kind of leader, but still a champion nonetheless, coming off a campaign where he won the scoring title, MVP, and drew LeBron James comparisons. Hall of Fame forward and analyst Charles Barkley called Gilgeous-Alexander a “nice guy” while comparing Gilgeous-Alexander's approach to James. However, is that necessarily a bad thing?
Perhaps a product of his generation, Gilgeous-Alexander is closer to James than to Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant, two Hall of Fame talents who would get into teammates' and opponents' faces in the heat of battle while yielding championship runs.
Barkley pointed out the contrasts in styles between James, Jordan, and Bryant, per the Bill Simmons Podcast.
“The three best players I’ve ever seen are Michael [Jordan], Kobe [Bryant], and LeBron [James], and I’ll tell you the difference between the three. Michael and Kobe were dangerous. They will kill your a**. LeBron is a nice guy, and that’s not a knock,” Barkley said. “He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy. Michael and Kobe weren’t nice guys. They’re different.
“The one thing about OKC, even though I think Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander] is a great, great player. To me, he’s more like LeBron. He’s a really nice guy. He’s not out there trying to kill you,” Simmons concluded.
Still, Gilgeous-Alexander produced one of the more dominant campaigns in recent NBA history, leading the Thunder to its first championship in franchise history. Oklahoma City's depth separated itself from the rest of the league's title contenders. The close-knit squad was the NBA's youngest team with SGA, All-Star Jalen Williams, and Chet Holmgren leading the league's most suffocating defense en route to a title.
Gilgeous-Alexander led by example, and his team followed suit. Then, the front office locked SGA, Williams, and Holmgren to long-term deals, cementing its core for the foreseeable future before Oklahoma City defends its title in 2025-26. With head coach Mark Daigneault's rotation under contract through 2028, the Thunder should remain competitive in a loaded Western Conference with its core players entering their prime.
Jalen Williams addresses ‘fun' narrative surrounding Thunder
Thunder All-Star Jalen Williams addressed ESPN's Stephen A Smith's narrative suggesting the first-time All-Star find consistency amidst the 2025 NBA Finals. Williams quieted Smith with an emphatic 40-point performance in the Thunder's 120-109 win in Game 5 against the Pacers.
However, for Williams, it was another example of the national media questioning the Thunder's potential based on its overall demeanor, which Williams says he didn't understand, given his age and the dominating season the Thunder were having atop the Western Conference, he said, per the Out The Mud podcast.
“To speak to that ‘too much fun' s***, it's like, bro, I'm 22 years old, making millions of dollars, and we're first in the West, what, you want me to be sad? I never understood that,” Williams said. “The defensive thing, I don't know where that came from, but you guys know, you guys were on a great defensive team — it's pride. I don't want my man to score, and I don't want the team to have to cover for me. So, that's how it goes for me.”
For Williams, it's Gilgeous-Alexander's effort that sets the tone for the Thunder's stifling defense.
“I think some of it starts with Shai, being the leader, Shai's not afraid to pick up and play D,” Williams added. “It just trickles down from there. We also have the personnel to do it, adding Chet and Hart, having some people back there. You throw J-Will. All these guys are willing to come in and be like I'm not gonna be the weak link — that's how we think.”
The Thunder will raise its first championship banner on Opening Night against the Rockets on October 21.
