Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is unsurprisingly among the MVP favorites this coming NBA season and so is Luka Doncic, who is still in search of his first MVP award.
SGA, seemingly inadvertently, took a subtle shot at young NBA players like Luka.
“Nothing against the guys my age, but the guys I can’t wait to match up against are the LeBrons, the Steph Currys, the KDs, the James Hardens,” Gilgeous-Alexander told GQ an interview. “The guys I grew up watching, that have completely stamped themselves on basketball forever, that have accomplished the things I want from the game. There’s no better test to see what I’m capable of than going against those guys.”
Anthony Edwards is another up-and-coming star around Shai’s age, but SGA has what Luka and Ant are yet to achieve.
An MVP award and a championship, which certainly places him in a category above.
In the same interview, Shai spoke of the impact he hopes to leave on the game and mentioned Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Being compared to him isn’t the overarching goal. Gilgeous-Alexander wants more.
“I pick up a basketball to be the best,” SGA said. “If you’re asking me if I want to be better than Kobe, of course I do. Whether I get there or not, we’ll find out.”
He went on to explain that he thinks he can reach even further heights in 2024-25. A season which included winning regular season MVP, the championship, Finals MVP and regular season scoring leader.
“I still feel there’s another level I can get to,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Every season you get better in the offseason, the NBA adjusts to that version of you, and then you learn something new. And that cycle just goes and goes and goes. As you go in your career, it becomes more mental. “
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