Tracy McGrady didn’t mince words. Appearing on The Old Man and the Three podcast, the Orlando Magic legend made one of the boldest comparisons of the 2025 NBA season: likening Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to none other than Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
"I think he's incredible. I think I'm not saying he's bringing it back. But because he's the MVP of the league, I think he's really put a spotlight on: you ain't gotta shoot all these threes. We don't have to shoot all these threes."
"We can get here in the in-between game and make something happen when the game gets tough. I could play around the free throw line and get to my spot. I don't have to get here, create anything off the dribble to shoot a three."
"Like, he's playing basketball the way Kobe played it, the way MJ played it. In-between game is what I see from Shai. And he's surrounded by shooters, so if he could get to his spots and that's why he really didn't have too many bad games, because he's not settling for threes."
It’s a head-turning endorsement from a Hall of Famer, but in truth, McGrady’s comments come at a time when Gilgeous-Alexander’s play is demanding this level of reverence.
Now in the middle of a historic NBA Finals series against the Indiana Pacers, Gilgeous-Alexander has silenced every critic and mesmerized fans with a style that bucks today’s norms. He’s not gunning threes at Stephen Curry volume.
He’s not reliant on analytics-fueled stepbacks. He’s getting to his spots — midrange, elbow, nail — and delivering daggers in moments that matter. Just like Mike. Just like Kobe.
In Game 4 of the Finals, SGA embodied that philosophy. After being locked up through three quarters, he erupted in the fourth, scoring 15 of Oklahoma City’s final 16 points.
The Thunder relentlessly targeted Pacers wing Aaron Nesmith in pick-and-roll coverage, and Gilgeous-Alexander exploited the matchup like a predator smelling blood.
His most crucial bucket? A fadeaway midrange jumper on the left baseline, giving OKC a 104–103 lead that they never relinquished.
While the three-point shot remains a tool in his kit, it was the midrange that won Game 4. It was poise, not pace. It was precision, not flash. It was the exact kind of moment that used to belong exclusively to Jordan and Bryant and now might belong to Shai.
Statistically, he’s backing up the hype. Gilgeous-Alexander became the first MVP since Michael Jordan to post more than 50 thirty-point games in a combined regular season and postseason.
In his first two NBA Finals games, he scored 72 points — more than any player since Allen Iverson. He’s averaging 30.4 points this postseason and has been the undisputed engine of the Thunder’s run to the Finals after a 68-win regular season.
That’s a valid reminder. Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, a five-time champion, and the face of the NBA for over a decade. Jordan? He’s on the Mount Olympus of the sport. For all of Gilgeous-Alexander’s brilliance, his journey is still unfolding.
But what is undeniable and what McGrady, Williams, and a growing number of NBA minds have recognized, is that SGA is carving his own lane with a skillset that defies the era. His mastery of the midrange is not just a nostalgic throwback. It’s an evolution. And it’s winning basketball.
With the series now tied 2–2 and Game 5 looming, Gilgeous-Alexander’s performance will shape how this series and perhaps his legacy are remembered. The comparisons may be premature, but they’re not unearned.
If Game 4 was any indication, this isn’t just a Finals breakout. It’s a statement that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander belongs in the biggest conversations. And he’s not done talking.
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