What would an NBA championship mean to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
What would an NBA championship mean to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?
Conventional wisdom took a while to catch up to reality, but the Oklahoma City Thunder destroying the Western Conference en route to the 2025 NBA Finals has finally forced folks to realize the truth — one of the greatest teams ever is four wins away from a championship.
Despite the sports world laser-focusing on OKC ahead of Game 1 against the Indiana Pacers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander remains as locked in as ever. Everybody might view the NBA Finals as a foregone conclusion, considering how lopsided the odds are, but the MVP winner can't look past Indiana.
"Honestly, not really," Gilgeous-Alexander said on if he's reflected on their historic season. "I've been so focused on just Game 1. Trying to be the best version of myself for this group and trying to make sure that we're clicking on all cylinders on the biggest stage of our careers has been on the forefront of my mind and all I do worry about when I worry about basketball."
Gilgeous-Alexander understands he sets the mindset for the rest of the squad. How he treats the lengthy wait before Game 1 will be copied by the rest of his teammates. They might be the overwhelming favorite on paper, but the games are played on the court for a reason.
"To win a title on top of everything that happened this year would be special. I said this so many times, I don't play for the individual stuff, I don't play for anything else besides winning. I never have in my whole life," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "When I was nine years old, I played to win an OBA championship. When I was 20 years old, I played to win the SEC Championship. Now I'm 26, I want to win the NBA championship. It's always about winning for me."
If the Thunder do what everybody expects them to do, that will catapult Gilgeous-Alexander into all-time great conversations. That would be a surreal cherry on top to one of the most unlikely journeys into one of the league's best players over the last four years.
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