Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has got to be one of the happiest people on the planet. His and the Oklahoma City Thunder's job may not be finished, as they are still locked in on their ultimate goal of winning an NBA championship, which they are ever so close to after a 124-94 beatdown of the Minnesota Timberwolves in the closeout Game 5, but he has a lot of reasons to be joyful.

Not only was he named the MVP of the league this past season and the MVP of the recently concluded Western Conference Finals, he also has a loving family — with his lovely wife and son being in attendance for Game 5.

Being a father has changed Gilgeous-Alexander's life for the better, and he now knows what matters the most to him in life, which then puts basketball and every goal of his and the Thunder's in the right perspective.

“I think the best thing about that moment is that he has no clue what's going on and that he's just happy to see me. In life in general, you get caught up in so many things that don't actually matter.

“That's the biggest thing with having my son in the past year. He's put on the forefront. He's shown me everything that actually matters in life,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in his postgame presser, via the official NBA account on X (formerly Twitter).

Gilgeous-Alexander has become a lightning rod for criticism in recent years for being a “free-throw merchant”. Regardless, the Thunder star is unfazed because every day of his life, he recognizes what actually matters to him — his family.

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“[My son] reminds me of that every day I wake up, every day he wakes me up. Every day he cries and wakes me in the middle of my sleep. He's amazing. He'll see this one day, I guess. He puts everything into perspective for sure,” Gilgeous-Alexander added.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder benefit from the ‘dad buff'

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) celebrates with Magic Johnson West Conference Finals MVP trophy after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves in game five to win the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Paycom Center.
Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has gotten better with age, and over the past year or so, he's been playing his best basketball. Seeing his son, Ares, be born may have something to do with that.

Gilgeous-Alexander's son was born on April 25, 2024, and since that time, he's averaging 32.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 6.5 assists in 100 games on 51/37/88 shooting splits. Having a child and loving someone in a way that's so pure and genuine has brought out the best in the Thunder star, and now, he is on the cusp of another life milestone, as they need to win just four more games to be crowned NBA champions.