One NBA title can work wonders for one’s trajectory or legacy. Paul George has already made such a case for the newest champion on the block.

The forward recently praised Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on his own “Podcast P with Paul George,” and went further than a simple look at the stat sheet, via HoopsHype.

“He’s putting himself in a category of his own of, you know, we hear the debate of who’s the face of the NBA and who’s the young face of the NBA. And, you know, I think Shai kind of, you know, is taken that to heart. He’s tough, man. I think he’s the future for sure, he’s going to be in that conversation of, when you look at the KDs the Stephs the Brons, they held the 2000s, 2010s, 2020s, they held those eras down. I think Shai is going to hold this next era down.”

Such an endorsement is not entirely unsurprising given the Philadelphia 76ers forward and Gilgeous-Alexander were traded for each other in 2019. The now infamous move sent the former to the Los Angeles Clippers and the latter to the Thunder.

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Additionally, Oklahoma City received a heap of draft picks that helped the franchise earn its first championship. For example, the Clippers’ 2022 unprotected first-round pick helped the Thunder draft Jalen Williams.

Gilgeous-Alexander is coming off of a spectacular season that saw him win just about everything a franchise star could hope for. In addition to his first championship, the Kentucky product was named league MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP, and NBA Finals MVP. He was also this past season’s scoring champion.

“You just know that he won’t fold,” teammate Lu Dort said of Gilgeous-Alexander, via Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. “When the pressure’s high, you know he’s still there and ready to go. It sets a tone. When you see your best player like that, the other guys will just follow and (know) we’re in a good position. We’re good.”

While potentially being “the face” of the NBA could be a daunting task, Gilgeous-Alexander might have the disposition to meet the moment.