SIMMONS: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins GOAT conversation with Wayne Gretzky and Guy Lafleur
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And now another name: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, born in Toronto, raised in Hamilton, the fourth player of the 4,800 or so who have suited up in the NBA to win a championship, a league MVP award, a scoring title and a Finals MVP all in the very same season.
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One of the truly great individual and team seasons in Canadian sports history.
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Wayne Gretzky did precisely the same thing in 1985. His Edmonton Oilers won the Stanley Cup. Gretzky won the scoring championship and the Hart Trophy as most valuable player during this regular season. He then went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.
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For all of Gretzky's records, his nine Hart Trophy wins, his 11 scoring titles, his four Stanley Cups, he only had one Gilgeous-Alexander season where he took home everything.
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That puts them together now, Gretzky and Gilgeous-Alexander, as unlikely as that may seem. Gretzky being one of two Canadian players in the modern history of the NHL to have a season winning everything.
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Guy Lafleur won the NHL scoring title in 1977, the same year he took home the Hart, the Conn Smythe and the Stanley Cup with the Montreal Canadiens. He was Canada's athlete of the year in 1977. Gretzky was Canada's athlete of the year in 1985. Gilgeous-Alexander should win his second Northern Star award this December.
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And in his sport, Gilgeous-Alexsander won an NBA scoring title with the champion Oklahoma City Thunder while averaging 32.7 points per game.
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To put that number into some kind of perspective, consider this: The 32.7 points per game was more than Steph Curry scored in his two scoring championship seasons; it's more than Kevin Durant scored in winning four scoring titles; it's more than Jordan scored in seven of the nine seasons he won scoring championships and more than Allen Iverson scored in his three times leading the league.
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Some of the greatest Canadian athletes in history — Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Bobby Orr — all won Stanley Cups and scoring titles and MVP awards, just not necessarily in the same seasons.
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Lemieux had his best scoring season in 1993, after Pittsburgh had won two straight Stanley Cups. That year, they lost to Glenn Healy, Ray Ferraro and the New York Islanders in the second round of the playoffs.
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