Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is four wins away from leading his Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship and putting a bow on one of the single most incredible seasons in league history.
A title, and perhaps a Finals MVP award, would cap off an 84-win season that also saw him lead the league in scoring and bring home the regular season MVP award, all of which likely wouldn’t be possible if he didn’t do such a good job taking after his favorite player of all time.
During a recent press conference ahead of Game 2 of the NBA Finals, SGA said, “That’s probably my favorite player of all time” when asked about fallen Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
“That’s probably my favorite player of all time.”
— SGA on Kobe Bryant
(h/t @ohnohedidnt24)pic.twitter.com/UNoCohACX7
— Legion Hoops (@LegionHoops) June 8, 2025
When watching Gilgeous-Alexander manipulate his way through a defense and bury one fading midrange jumper after another with his gangly 6’6″ frame, it’s easy to see the influence that Bryant must have had on him during his formative years.
It has been a historic season for him so far, but in the words of the great Black Mamba, “the job’s not finished,” and OKC has four more games to win to bring home its first title since 1979 when it was still the Seattle SuperSonics.
He had a strong showing in Game 1 of the Finals when his Thunder blew a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and ultimately lost thanks to yet another game-winner from Tyrese Haliburton with 0.3 seconds left, though SGA missed a fairly easy midrange jumper in the last 30 seconds that could have put the game away and gotten him to 40 points on the night.
We’ll see if SGA can channel his inner Mamba on Sunday for Game 2 and avoid the dreaded 0-2 hole.
NEXT: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Makes Playoff History After Special Finals Debut
