Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is having a season for the ages — and he’s just getting started
CNN
In 2000, Shaquille O’Neal put together one of the most dominant campaigns in NBA history. He won the scoring title, regular-season MVP and Finals MVP — culminating in a Lakers championship. Only three players have ever pulled off that trifecta: O’Neal, Michael Jordan (four times) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
In 2000, Shaquille O’Neal put together one of the most dominant campaigns in NBA history. He won the scoring title, regular season MVP and NBA Finals MVP — culminating in a Lakers championship. Only three players have ever pulled off that trifecta: O’Neal, Michael Jordan (four times) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It hasn’t happened since. Until, maybe, now. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is knocking on history’s door, and he’s doing it with the unshakable calm of a player who already belongs there. At just 26, Gilgeous-Alexander has the Oklahoma City Thunder on the cusp of their first NBA title since the franchise relocated from Seattle. Game 3 in the Finals is at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in Indianapolis. His smooth, yet herky-jerky style has had defenses guessing and gasping all season. Through the first two games of these NBA Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 72 points, the most ever by a player in their first two career Finals games. He has topped 30 points in every game so far and is averaging more than 30 per game in the postseason. “I’m being myself,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after Game 2. “I don’t think I tried to reinvent the wheel or step up to the plate with a different mindset. Just try to attack the game the right way. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far.”
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