The Oklahoma City Thunder were victorious over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals on Sunday night, with superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander unsurprisingly taking home Finals MVP for his squad. After the game, Gilgeous-Alexander earned a new label from his veteran backcourt running mate, Alex Caruso, that will certainly catch fans' attention.

Gilgeous-Alexander enjoyed a season for the ages, as he was the league's leading scorer who also won the 2024-25 MVP Award. He followed that up by dominating in the postseason, leading the Thunder all the way to the first championship in their franchise history. With the face of the NBA discussion still being debated among fans, Caruso confidently handed that label to Gilgeous-Alexander after Oklahoma City topped Indiana.

“As far as face of the league and best player on best team, he's got that capability,” Caruso said of Gilgeous-Alexander after Game 7, per Josue Pavon of ClutchPoints. “I think the thing that sets him apart is he'll probably be hungry for more. He probably won't be satisfied with just winning this one time. He'll want to do it again, he'll want to be better, he'll want to see how he can tweak and maneuver his game to better fit and take advantage of the way people guard him.”

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Alex Caruso, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander celebrate Thunder's Finals victory

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with guard Alex Caruso (9) after a basket against the Dallas Mavericks during the second half at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

All the individual accolades are nice, but Gilgeous-Alexander has made it clear that his primary goal was to win a title with the Thunder this season. While he led the way, he needed the help of everyone else on OKC's roster, with the addition of Caruso being one of the biggest moves that helped the team take the next step forward this season.

Now, they get to celebrate their major accomplishment together, without having to worry about what's next. In Caruso's eyes, though, Gilgeous-Alexander has firmly established himself as the next great superstar in the NBA, and while the star guard will surely soak up the celebration from his championship win, you can bet he will return next season looking to prove that this is the only the start for him.