GOAT Watch: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Could Do What Jordan, LeBron, and Kobe Never Did — No One in NBA History Has Done This, But Shai Might
As the basketball world holds its breath ahead of Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Finals, all eyes are not just on the championship — but on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the 26-year-old Oklahoma City Thunder guard whose postseason run has the potential to redefine greatness in the sport.
What he’s on the verge of accomplishing has never been done. Not by Michael Jordan. Not by LeBron James. Not by Kobe Bryant. Not even by Magic or Kareem.
In a single, remarkable season, SGA could walk away with:
🏆 NBA Regular Season MVP
🏆 Western Conference Finals MVP
🏆 NBA Finals MVP
💍 An NBA Championship Ring
If he pulls it off, it won’t just be a crowning achievement for him — it will be NBA history.
The Season of a Lifetime
It started with a regular season for the ages. Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a league-best 68–14 record, finishing second in scoring (32.7 PPG) while averaging 6.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 steals per game. He was named the 2024–2025 NBA Most Valuable Player, edging out Nikola Jokić and Luka Dončić in one of the tightest races in recent memory.
His impact wasn’t just on the stat sheet — it was cultural. Oklahoma City, a team most pundits wrote off just a few years ago as “rebuilding,” had been transformed into a juggernaut under his leadership. Calm, focused, efficient, and explosive when needed — SGA became the face of a new generation of NBA stars.
Postseason Mastery: Rising When It Matters Most
In the Western Conference Finals, the Thunder met the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Many expected the young Thunder squad to fold against Jokic’s experience. Instead, it was SGA who took over. He averaged 30 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds across the series, including a dagger step-back three in Game 6 to seal the series and earn the Conference Finals MVP — his second major accolade of the year.
As ESPN’s Zach Lowe put it, “He’s playing with a control and command that even the greats didn’t master this early.”
Now in the NBA Finals, matched against the battle-hardened Indiana Pacers, SGA has not only held his own — he’s delivered yet again.
Chasing Immortality in Game 7
Heading into Game 7, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging:
31.2 PPG
7.1 APG
6.3 RPG
1.8 SPG
He’s been the Thunder’s anchor on both ends, balancing scoring and playmaking while also checking the opposing team’s top guards. And if he closes the series with another MVP-level performance, he’ll likely be named NBA Finals MVP — completing an unmatched trifecta of MVPs in a single season.
What Makes This Feat So Historic?
Many all-time greats have had legendary seasons, but none have ever swept these three awards and the title in the same year.
Michael Jordan won the regular-season MVP and Finals MVP in multiple seasons, but there was no Conference Finals MVP award during his time.
LeBron James came close in 2013 but did not earn three MVPs in a single postseason.
Kobe Bryant, despite his legendary Finals performances, never accomplished all three in the same campaign.
Stephen Curry, widely regarded as one of the most transformative players in modern history, has never captured a Finals MVP.
If Shai finishes the job, he will stand alone.
A New Face of the League?
What’s perhaps most astonishing is how quickly this ascension has happened. Drafted 11th overall in 2018, traded early in his career, and overshadowed by flashier prospects, Gilgeous-Alexander developed quietly but steadily. Now, with poise, skill, and leadership beyond his years, he’s at the center of the GOAT debate — at just 26.
He’s changed the identity of the Thunder franchise, revived a small-market powerhouse, and is now forcing the basketball world to ask: Are we watching the most complete season in NBA history?
What They’re Saying
Kevin Durant: “Shai’s playing at a level that’s generational. He doesn’t get rattled. He just controls the game.”
Charles Barkley: “If he wins Game 7 and gets the Finals MVP, we’ve got to start talking about him in the Jordan-LeBron tier. It’s that serious.”
Draymond Green: “He’s surgical. Everything is calculated. The game is moving in slow motion for him.”
