Latest news with #All-NBAFirstTeam
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Young Thunder Champ Sheds Light on Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's Leadership Style
Oklahoma City Thunder All-NBA First Team point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had a banner year in 2024-25, earning his first MVP award while leading his team to a 68-14 record and its first post-Seattle SuperSonics championship. In a fresh conversation with Sportskeeda's Mark Medina, young shooting guard Ajay Mitchell spoke about learning from Gilgeous-Alexander and some of Oklahoma City's other great vets during his eventful 2024-25 season, which ended in a title. Mitchell was occasionally trotted out in spot playoff minutes during the postseason, although the former No. 38 pick in the 2024 draft wasn't a night-in, night-out contender. Mitchell reflected on Gilgeous-Alexander's preferred leadership style. "I think the way he leads [is] by the way he acts. Seeing him in the gym after practice and before practice, and the way he takes care of his body," Mitchell said. "It's just the way he's consistent throughout everything. For young players like us, it's really important to have leaders like that and see how they go about the game. It really helped me just learn from him, not only just asking questions. But looking at what he does and looking at the way he acts really helps." Mitchell, who has plenty of defensive upside, spoke glowingly about what he's been able to glean from All-Defensive Team Thunder wings Jalen Williams, Luguentz Dort, and Alex Caruso. "They're great defenders. They're the best defenders in the league," Mitchell raved. "Seeing how they go about the game, for me it was the way they watched film. I think it was kind of different than in college. There, we just watch film. But they were really pointing on the guys they were going to guard. It's the way the game is so slow for them on defense, the way they can make reads and be playmakers on defense, I think that's a big part of it. It's not just about guarding your guys, but being able to make defensive plays. They can read players and get steals. The way they go about defense is amazing. There is a lot to learn from." Related: NBA 2K Makes Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Announcement Copyright 2025 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Sport
- Time of India
NBA Trade Rumors: Could Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo Team Up With $215,159,700 Atlanta Hawks to Improve Title Odds?
Giannis Antetokounmpo (Image via USA Today) In a bold trade proposal that has the potential to shake up the NBA landscape, the Atlanta Hawks have been linked to a blockbuster deal that would land them two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo from the Milwaukee Bucks . The trade idea, first floated by Connor Thoms of Bleacher Report, suggests Atlanta could be an unexpected suitor for the Greek Freak, especially in a rapidly changing Eastern Conference. Proposed Trade Breakdown Here's how the trade would look according to Thoms' hypothetical scenario: Atlanta Hawks Receive Milwaukee Bucks Receive Giannis Antetokounmpo Jalen Johnson Zaccharie Risacher Kobe Bufkin Four first-round picks One pick swap This package gives Milwaukee a mix of promising young players and future draft capital, while Atlanta forms a formidable 'Big 3' with Antetokounmpo joining All-Stars Trae Young and Kristaps Porzingis. Eastern Conference Shake-Up Giannis Antetokounmpo (Image via Trevor Ruszkowski, Imagn Images) If executed, this deal would dramatically alter the balance of power in the East. With Indiana's Tyrese Haliburton and Boston's Jayson Tatum both expected to miss the upcoming season due to injuries, the door is open for a new contender to rise. Pairing Giannis with Trae and Porzingis offers Atlanta a lethal combination of speed, size, and shot-making that could push them deep into the playoffs. Antetokounmpo's Uncertain Future According to ESPN's Shams Charania, Giannis Antetokounmpo is reportedly 'open-minded' about leaving Milwaukee for the first time in his career. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ready for a Glow-Up? [Get Your Reading Now] Undo Glow-Up Packages from $15 [Sign Up] Undo Affect Your Future Now! (Book Today) Undo That openness comes after the Bucks' disappointing first-round exit at the hands of the Indiana Pacers, who dispatched them in five games. Ashish Mathur, who reported on the trade idea for NBA Analysis Network, emphasized the weight of such a move: 'It will be intriguing to see if Antetokounmpo stays with Milwaukee or requests a trade.' Giannis has been loyal to Milwaukee since being selected 15th overall in the 2013 NBA Draft. Over his 12 seasons with the Bucks, he's helped transform the franchise into a perennial playoff team and led them to an NBA title in 2021. Bucks' Recent Moves Signal Change Since their playoff exit, the Bucks have been active in retooling their roster: - Waived and stretched Damian Lillard - Signed Myles Turner and Gary Harris - Re-signed Bobby Portis, Kevin Porter Jr., Gary Trent Jr., Taurean Prince, and Jericho Sims Despite these moves, Milwaukee doesn't currently look like a true title contender, prompting growing speculation that a Giannis trade may become a reality. Giannis Antetokounmpo by the Numbers The Greek Freak remains one of the league's most dominant forces. Last season, he earned All-NBA First Team honors while posting monster stats: Stat Category 2024-2025 Season Average Points 30.4 Rebounds 11.9 Assists 6.5 Steals 0.9 Blocks 1.2 He's also locked into a lucrative three-year, $175 million extension signed in 2023, with a salary of $54.1 million for the upcoming season. A Hall of Fame Trajectory Already etched in NBA history, Antetokounmpo's resume includes: - 2× MVP - 1× NBA Finals MVP - 1× Defensive Player of the Year - 9× All-Star - 2021 NBA Champion With career averages of 23.9 points, 9.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.1 steals, and 1.2 blocks per game, Giannis is all but guaranteed to be enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. While this trade remains hypothetical, it underlines a major question heading into the 2025-26 season: will Giannis remain loyal to Milwaukee, or is it finally time for a new chapter? Also read: NBA Trade News: Los Angeles Lakers Sign Marcus Smart with a $11 Million Deal; High-Stakes Move for Defensive Reinforcement With Atlanta positioning itself as a bold contender and the Bucks seemingly at a crossroads, the NBA world will be watching closely. Would Giannis actually leave the only NBA home he's ever known to chase another ring in Atlanta? Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
USA Today
14-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 1 of the top 100 NBA players ever? Not to Bleacher Report
After one of the greatest individual seasons ever, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has surely asserted himself as one of the basketball greats. It took conventional wisdom a while to catch up to how absurdly great the 27-year-old is, but an MVP award, NBA Finals MVP trophy, scoring title and championship ring are enough of a stacked trophy case for most. Well, not to Bleacher Report. The outlet's NBA staff published the top 100 NBA players of all time. Considering it's mid-July, right now is the perfect time to reflect on the league's rich history and vote for who is among the greatest that have tied up their sneakers on the hardwood. Despite three straight 30-plus point campaigns and three All-NBA First Team honors, Gilgeous-Alexander was not listed among the best 100 players ever. Instead, other active players like Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Jimmy Butler and Paul George were listed ahead — even with lesser resumes. So, this is clearly an oversight. Perhaps Bleacher Report's staff conducted the poll while the NBA playoffs were still happening. A project like this requires weeks. Still, a championship shouldn't be the deciding factor for a layup entry like Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander has had an abnormal path to superstardom. He went from afterthought of the 2019 George to LA Clippers blockbuster to a Gen Z Michael Jordan in just three seasons, but that should've been enough time for their writers to understand just how historically special he is. The average fan might've learned how dominant Gilgeous-Alexander was this past season. The Thunder had one of the greatest seasons ever and were constantly on national television. But two straight top-five MVP finishes, including runner-up last year, clearly showed where his trajectory was going as he entered his prime. Shame on Bleacher Report for the mishap. They should know better.
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rod Thorn gave high praise to young LeBron: "There has never been a 21-year-old player as good as LeBron James. He is the best ever"
Rod Thorn gave high praise to young LeBron: "There has never been a 21-year-old player as good as LeBron James. He is the best ever" originally appeared on Basketball Network. Before LeBron James' 22nd birthday, Rod Thorn could already see greatness written all over him. The long-time NBA front office executive who famously drafted Michael Jordan had watched plenty of stars emerge. However, he believed James was on an entirely different track, someone who could dominate the league for a long time. Advertisement "There has never been a 21-year-old player as good as LeBron James. He is the best ever," Thorn said of James in an interview with David Friedman. "I mean, his all-around game, his great quickness, his explosiveness off the dribble, his understanding of the game, his sight of the floor—there has never been a 21-year-old like him." "He has a chance to be one of the all-time great players before his career is finished," added Thorn. Thorn stopped short of predicting if LBJ could eventually surpass MJ, but he got his message across: The kid from Akron was a totally different beast. LeBron's Year 3 was special At 21, James was already a grizzled veteran. He had three years under his belt and had just carried the Cleveland Cavaliers to their first playoff series victory since 1993! In comparison, at the same age, Jordan was still preparing to leave North Carolina for the NBA through the draft. Advertisement With this in mind, it's easy to see why Thorn spoke so highly of him. The King averaged 31.4 points, 7.0 rebounds and 6.6 assists in the regular season as he led the Cavs to the fourth seed (50-32). He already finished second in MVP voting behind Steve Nash and earned All-NBA First Team honors alongside Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Dirk Nowitzki and Shaquille O'Neal. If Bron's regular season was insane by any metric, his postseason performances were not too far behind. James averaged 31 points, eight boards and six dimes across two series and had two triple-doubles in 13 outings. In fact, he managed to pull off this feat in his first playoff game, recording 32 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists while playing the entire 48 minutes. The poise and production James showed in that postseason only strengthened the belief that he was something the league hadn't seen before. He took the defending Eastern Conference champions, the Detroit Pistons, to seven games and nearly willed the Cavs to an upset. No one needed to squint to see what was coming. And to Thorn's credit, he already saw it in full view. Advertisement Related: Rick Fox explains why Kobe never hung out with other teammates: "He was on a course and any minute or day wasted doing something else was going to slow him down getting to that point" MJ and Kobe comparisons Even then, the media has done its best to compare LeBron with the greats of the past, especially Jordan. Thorn was among the few who saw MJ's development as a rookie sensation, so nobody was as qualified to give an opinion. "It's too early to say that (LeBron is going to be better than MJ), but I think that as far as all-around ability and athletic ability, plus size — see, he has size that even Julius (Erving), Michael and Kobe don't have. He's a bigger guy. You're talking about a 6'8", 250-pound guy," stated Thorn. Advertisement Of course, Rod considered Jordan the best of all time and recognized Bryant as the closest to MJ in terms of play style. Still, what he saw from LeBron in 2006 convinced him that he was going to be an all-time great when all is said and done. Fast-forward 19 years, and Thorn's early praise holds up. LeBron has played more seasons than Jordan and Bryant, made more All-NBA teams than anyone in history, and sits atop the league's all-time scoring list. He's won championships in three different cities, remained a top-tier player well into his late 30s and has outlasted most of his peers by nearly a decade. Whether you have him at the top of the list or not, there's no denying LBJ's greatness anymore. The only thing Thorn missed was how long James would keep going. Related: "Michael Jordan absolutely couldn't have played through those cramps" - When Isiah Thomas defended LeBron for sitting out in the 2014 NBA Finals This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Jul 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
02-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Deal grade: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's supermax extension with OKC Thunder
Enjoying the best two weeks in franchise history, the Oklahoma City Thunder capped off their NBA championship high by locking down one of the NBA's best players. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasted little time signing a four-year, $285 million contract extension. The Thunder will have Gilgeous-Alexander under contract through the 2030-31 season. The supermax deal is the most the MVP winner could've signed for this offseason. The Thunder's historic 68-14 regular season and NBA championship starts and stops with Gilgeous-Alexander. He's one of the league's best players and is on the path to becoming an all-time great, considering his accomplishments at 26 years old. Let's examine Gilgeous-Alexander's extension and break down what it means for the Thunder: Gilgeous-Alexander's background Everybody knows Gilgeous-Alexander's story at this point. He was the 2018 NBA draft No. 11 pick. He spent his rookie year on the LA Clippers before being packaged to OKC in the 2019 blockbuster Paul George trade. He wasn't even the headliner of the deal. It was all of the draft picks sent. And then Gilgeous-Alexander slowly ascended. He was a key piece of the 2020 squad led by Chris Paul. He took the baton from the future Hall-of-Famer and became the franchise's face. After dealing with injuries for a couple of seasons, he exploded into one of the NBA's best players. Gilgeous-Alexander has had three straight 30-plus point campaigns. He's had three straight All-Star and All-NBA First Team nods. He went from fifth to runner-up to finally the MVP in those three years. The 26-year-old had his best campaign yet. Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points on 51.9% shooting, 6.4 assists and five rebounds this past season. He won about every award imaginable. A championship ring was highlighted with the triple crown of MVP, Western Conference Finals MVP and NBA Finals MVP. Oh, and he also won the scoring title. No denying it now, Gilgeous-Alexander is one of the three best players in the league at worst. He has a trajectory of a top 15 all-time player with his on-court production and accolades. Now he stays on the Thunder with a chance to build up a dynasty. Gilgeous-Alexander's fit This is easy. Gilgeous-Alexander is the fit. Everything in OKC revolves around him. When you're an MVP winner, you get your say on how the franchise and roster are built. The Thunder will remain a title contender as long as he stays healthy. Simple as that. Now, the Thunder must prepare for the 2026-27 season and beyond. That'll be the first year where most of their payroll is tied to Gilgeous-Alexander, Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren. To remain competitive, the rest of the roster must be fielded by players on their rookie-scale deals or team-friendly contracts. The dreaded second apron has been a roster-building Grim Reaper. But if anybody is best set up to avoid the deadly consequences of it, it's the Thunder with the amount of draft capital they have at their disposal. It'll also help that they have one of the best trios to give them a comfy margin of error. Gilgeous-Alexander's future The Thunder should throw an afterparty for this. They locked down Gilgeous-Alexander to a third contract. That's always the toughest one to convince somebody to sign. Ask about their attempts with Kevin Durant. But fresh off an NBA championship and a historic season, it was a no-brainer for both sides. Gilgeous-Alexander will remain in OKC as long as he wants to. He signed the richest contract in NBA history. A 2030-31 opt-out will give him a chance to sign an even more expensive fourth deal when the new CBA rolls around and the cap number is likely larger. It's good to see Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder take care of business early on. They're now locked and loaded to defend their championship and hope for a rare repeat. Final thoughts This is great news for both sides. The Thunder will keep their franchise player for the foreseeable future. Gilgeous-Alexander will get the Brink's trucks backed up. There was little negotiation involved. Which likely explains why the MVP winner ditched his agency Wasserman months before he could sign a new contract. The Thunder should take a victory lap. Out of all the NBA franchises, they should understand not to take for granted re-signing their franchise stars. Gilgeous-Alexander nonchalantly took care of business as early as he could. While he could've made significantly more next offseason, the 26-year-old is betting on still being one of the league's top players in 2030 to get one final massive payday. The Thunder entered the offseason with a chance to lock down their star trio. One domino is down. Williams and Holmgren are likely next. Granted, it's a little surprising to see Gilgeous-Alexander be the first to sign. But Williams and Holmgren will surely get their deals done. Final Grade: A-plus
