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Former University of Kentucky basketball head coach John Calipari, who coached Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for one season, shared a reason for the MVP’s nonchalant demeanor. Speaking with ESPN’s Brian Windhorst and Iman Shumpert, Calipari explained Gilgeous-Alexander’s poker-faced amid NBA critics. It’s an approach that yielded Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder a 1-1 series to the Indiana Pacers in the NBA Finals.
ESPN’s Windhorst and Shumpert relayed the Gilgeous-Alexander conversation they had with Calipari, per ESPN’s Hoop Collective.
“Coach Cal said before the game that, ‘that even keel and that nonchalant attitude sometimes is used to hide his teammates.’ And as critical as I was of that statement, just because I think it’s coming off of watching,” Shumpert said before Windhorst intervened.
“What did he mean by that? I don’t understand,” Windhorst said, to which Shumpert replied, “He says that it’s just another game, and he does that so that if you do ridicule,” Shumpert replied.
“It’s a defense mechanism,” Winhorst stated.
Coach John Calipari is now the head coach of the University of Arkansas’ basketball team.
Iman Shumpert on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ‘defense mechanism’
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Former NBA guard Iman Shumpert understands how Thunder All-Star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s nonchalant demeanor can shield him from harsh criticism. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder threw the most punches against the Pacers in Game 2 of the NBA Finals. The confidence head coach Mark Daigneault had in his team’s ability to bounce back from losses all season long paid off. Either way, Gilgeous-Alexander remains even-keel.
For Shumpert, Gilgeous-Alexander builds a closer bond with his teammates when his mood doesn’t shift after wins or losses. At this stage of the 2024-25 campaign, it’s the kind of leadership SGA has put forth that makes it easy for his teammates to follow suit.
“It’s a defensive mechanism, I’m already nonchalant, right? I’m going to be nonchalant about this. It’s just another game,” Shumpert said. “If it is more than another game, I will deliver that message to my teammates. But right now, y’all are going to deal with nonchalant.”
After scoring 38 points in his NBA Finals debut, Gilgeous-Alexander finished with 34 points on 11-of-21 shooting, eight assists, five rebounds, and four steals. He scored a combined 72 points in Games 1 and 2, surpassing Hall of Fame guard Allen Iverson (71) for most points in the first two games of an NBA Finals debut.
The Thunder will travel to Indianapolis to face the Pacers for Game 3 on Wednesday.
