Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was reflective after practice on Sunday and mentioned the late Kobe Bryant when he talked about the opportunity Thunder vice president and GM Sam Presti has bestowed upon him. The two-time All-Star is a bonafide star and the face of the franchise. Gilgeous-Alexander ranked in the top five in ESPN’s Top 100 NBA players and won Most Valuable Player by analysts and NBA GMs alike in their 2024-25 projections.

While speaking to reporters at practice, SGA thanked the Thunder front office for seeing him as the pillar Oklahoma City could build around. He compared the honor to NBA greats such as Bryant, Allen Iverson, and the other icons who came before him, per Oklahoman Sports’ Joel Lorenzi.

“It’s a kid’s dream. You watch basketball and no knock on anybody that’s not a star player, [but] growing up, you watch Kobe Bryant, [a] cornerstone of the Lakers franchise, you watch LeBron James, [a] cornerstone of Cleveland's franchise, you watch Allen Iverson, the cornerstone of Philly's franchise, those are the guys that are budding in your face when you watch basketball, and the guys that you go out there and try to emulate,” Gilgeous-Alexander said.

“[They] inspire you to play the game of basketball. Indirectly, he’s given me the opportunity to go be that guy, and I try to take full advantage of the opportunity. But, yeah. Hat’s off to Sam.”

What appeared to be a favorable win at the time of the deal turned into a heist pulled off by Presti in his trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. He was sending All-Star Paul George to the Clippers for a treasure trove of assets, including their 2024 first-round pick, which Oklahoma City used to select rookie Dillon Jones in this year’s draft. The Thunder reeled in five future first-round picks for George, including 2022’s first-round pick, potential All-Star Jalen Williams, and last year’s runner-up for MVP, Gilgeous-Alexander.

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Sam Presti landed a full-fledged superstar in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who led four Thunder players named to ESPN’s Top 100 Players list. He finished No. 4, Chet Holmgren (No. 56) and Jalen Williams (No. 59) finished in the top 60, and Alex Caruso was No. 87.

After averaging 30.1 points, 6.2 assists, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game in 2023-24, Gilgeous-Alexander could be on the cusp of his first MVP season when the Thunder face the Nuggets in Thursday’s regular-season opener.