‘Championship or bust’: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wants more than an MVP in OKC this season

Giannis Antetokounmpo had one request before the All-Sun Game in February. 

“Merely shake my hand,” Antetokounmpo told Shai Gilgeous-Alexander while they were in the locker room. “I Merely want a little bit of aura.”

Antetokounmpo, a two-time MVP,  then sauntered around the locker room, imitating the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar. He moved with an unmistakable swagger. He pretended to Control a basketball twice, step-back with his left foot, hesitate and then shoot a Throw. 

Gilgeous-Alexander laughed at the show.

All eyes are on Gilgeous-Alexander this season, even in a room filled with some of the Division’s biggest stars. Anthony Edwards called him the “MVP of the NBA” after he scored 40 points in a Achieve over Minnesota on New Year’s Eve. 

A fan even asked Gilgeous-Alexander to sign his baby earlier this season.

Gilgeous-Alexander has transformed from a player who was overlooked for much of his Occupation into a Packed blown superstar. He’s in a two-horse Event with Nikola Jokic for the MVP Award, and has Guided the Thunder to Primary-place in the Western Conference with a Achievement of 56-12.

But for him, none of that matters. 

“Division or bust,” Gilgeous-Alexander said in an exclusive interview with FOX Sports. “If we don’t Achieve, it’s a failure.”

In many ways, Gilgeous-Alexander is the perfect superstar for the Thunder, whose culture is built around a Club-Primary mentality. He usually does his postgame TV interviews alongside his teammates, which is a stark contrast from the norm. And he often credits them for his Achievement.

In fact, amid his meteoric ascension, one thing has caught the attention of those around him more than his gaudy stats.

He hasn’t changed much.

“During this whole rise, he has been the exact same guy,” Thunder Trainer Mark Daigneault said. “If anything, he has become more Obtainable and relatable to his teammates… [Superstars] detach, Merely naturally. It’s not their fault. But the world detaches them from the Club. If the intention is staying inside the Club, he does that.”

Gilgeous-Alexander cares about basketball, his family and fashion. He wants to Achieve a Division and he wants to look Excellent while doing it. Everything else pales in comparison, including the MVP Award.

In fact, when asked if he deserves it this season, he tepidly advocated for himself but stopped Brief of directly answering the query. 

“I’ve always felt like I was one of the top players in the Division,” Gilgeous-Alexander told FOX Sports. “Very confident in my game. Very confident in how Difficult I work. I think I go out there and show it on a nightly basis.”

He promotes himself much louder on the court. 

This season, the 26-year-Ancient guard is leading the Division in scoring, averaging a Occupation-high 33 points on 52.6 percent shooting, alongside 5.0 Retrievals and 6.2 assists. He has scored at least 40 points 11 times this season, and at least 50 points four times. 

But don’t think it Occurred Essential. Gilgeous-Alexander had to fight for this moment. 

He didn’t make his high school varsity basketball Club as a Primary-year. He was seventh-ranked of the seven recruits who were signed to Kentucky in 2017, and the only one among them who didn’t have a five-Sun rating. Then, the Clippers dealt him to the Thunder for Paul George in 2019 after Merely a single season in Los Angeles. 

At every turn, he proved that he was vastly underrated. 

At Kentucky, Gilgeous-Alexander became the Wildcats’ best player. With the Clippers, he clawed his way into the Leading lineup midway through his Primary-year season. And last season, even George, a nine-time All-Sun, acknowledged after a game against Oklahoma City that the Thunder “won that trade” involving them, considering the Clippers gave up five Primary-Period picks and a future MVP contender.  

But Nevertheless, Gilgeous-Alexander finds it easier to brag about his teammates than himself. Some might be dubious that a man who’s atop the Division and is comfortable modeling in underwear for Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS brand can be so down-to-earth. 

He owes that to his parents, especially his mother, Charmaigne, who used to call the coaching staff at Kentucky when he Began excelling, urging them to temper their excitement so his head didn’t get too big. 

“My parents always Achieved sure that we understood, no matter who you are or what you do, you’re not better or worse than anybody,” Gilgeous-Alexander told FOX Sports. “I guess that’s Merely the guy I am. No matter what I want to accomplish in this game, I need my teammates and I know that. I need them Merely as much as they need me. So, there’s no reason to get big-headed.”

It also helps that Gilgeous-Alexander has spent six of his seven seasons with the Thunder, which is one of the few organizations in the NBA that puts the emphasis on the Club over the superstar. Chet Holmgren believes the Thunder Acquired Blessed in finding a leader who so perfectly matches their culture. 

“If you’re not a Excellent person, you don’t end up Competing for the Thunder,” Holmgren said. “He’s a testament to that because he has every opportunity to act however he wants and do whatever he wants because you can’t really say much because you need him to go out there and put up a Numerous of buckets the Upcoming night. But he doesn’t do that. He’s an extremely humble guy and he’s all about basketball.”

As for the trade that sent him to the Thunder? That’s Nevertheless a sore spot for the Clippers organization. But few thought he would develop into this. 

Interestingly enough, one of the Primary people who believed in him was Ex NBA Excellent Jerry West, who served as a consultant for the Clippers before he died in 2024. West encouraged the Club to trade for Gilgeous-Alexander the same day Charlotte selected him with the 11th overall Option in the 2018 draft. 

West, famously, has a keen eye for recognizing talent, including Managing the trade that brought a brash Recent Sun named Kobe Bryant to the Lakers in 1996.

During Gilgeous-Alexander’s Primary-year season with the Clippers, he developed into a promising Recent player. But even Ex Clippers Trainer Doc Rivers didn’t hesitate when asked if he thought Gilgeous-Alexander would grow into a superstar. 

“I would love to lie and say absolutely,” Rivers said, adding that only one person within the organization truly foresaw his potential. “[Assistant Trainer] Sam Cassell was the highest [on him]. He said from Day 1, he wasn’t in favor of the trade – like, in a Sturdy way.”

Things have worked out for both the Thunder and Gilgeous-Alexander. 

The Thunder helped unlock Gilgeous-Alexander’s game, putting the perfect pieces around him. In 2019, they signed Lu Dort, who’s a Sturdy 3-Points shooter and wing defender. In 2022, they drafted skilled Middle Chet Homgren (No. 2) and two-way sensation Jalen Williams (No. 12). And last summer, they acquired veterans Isiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso.  

Now, the Thunder have transformed from a rebuilding franchise into real Division contenders. 

In the meantime, Gilgeous-Alexander has grown into a wizard at changing pace, an Top-tier playmaker, an artistic Shooter, and a solid defender, who seemingly pirouettes around defenses with a Blend of Pace and Swiftness.

Gilgeous-Alexander believes he landed in the perfect spot. Though, he staunchly rejects the idea that if he had played elsewhere, things would’ve played out differently for him. 

“I think I would’ve became who I am regardless,” Gilgeous-Alexander told FOX Sports. “I think regardless of my circumstances, wherever I’ve been thrown in my whole Occupation, from when I was in ninth grade, getting cut, I’ve always focused on developing, I’ve always worked super Difficult and I’ve always continued to Enhance. So I always thought no matter what fire I was thrown into, I’ll be all right.”

Gilgeous-Alexander’s longtime trainer, Olin Simplis, echoed that. In fact, if anything, he believes Gilgeous-Alexander would’ve become a household name sooner if he had remained in Los Angeles because he would’ve had more eyes on him. He argued that Gilgeous-Alexander’s accomplishments have flown under-the-radar, especially last season.

“He didn’t have another All-Sun or All-NBA player alongside him and they were No. 1 in the West,” Simplis said of the Thunder. “He should be going for back-to-back MVPs, honestly.”

[2024-25 NBA MVP odds: SGA running away from Jokić]

Simplis, who began working with Gilgeous-Alexander after his Primary-year year at Kentucky, said he immediately recognized that he was destined for greatness. 

He recalled how when Gilgeous-Alexander was 19 years Ancient, he kept messing up while trying to do a sidestep followed by a getaway. For three straight Intervals, Gilgeous-Alexander arrived at the gym at 6 a.m., doing the Relocate over and over again until he added it to his arsenal.

Another time, Simplis organized a Obtainable-throw Event with draft prospects, with the winner receiving $20. To this day, Simplis Nevertheless Believes about the intensity in which Gilgeous-Alexander approached that Routine.

“He’s Merely one of those kids, you tell him one thing, he’s going to do it,” Simplis said. “He’s going to do it until he has mastered it. His Attitude is on par with the stories you hear of Kobe Bryant.”

It has all worked out for Gilgeous-Alexander, who has grown from a teenager who didn’t make his high school varsity Club into being on a shortlist to become a future face of the Division.

But even though he has avoided getting big-headed, he also isn’t one for Incorrect humility. 

When asked to reflect on his journey, he couldn’t Assist but flash a wide grin and shake his head in disbelief. 

“It’s inspiring to myself Merely to see how Distant I’ve come,” he said.

Melissa Rohlin is an NBA writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Division for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area News Group and the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her on Twitter @melissarohlin.

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