Shai Gilgeous-Alexander led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first NBA championship with his 29-point performance in their 103-91 win over the Indiana Pacers in Game 7. He was awarded the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award after averaging 30.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds in seven games of the NBA Finals.
Following the celebrations and press conference, Gilgeous-Alexander sat down for an exclusive interview with ESPN's Malika Andrews. Here's how their conversation went about Gilgeous-Alexander's claim to being the best player in the world.
Andrews: "Inevitably, the conversation after someone wins a Finals MVP it always turns to it; that player can claim being the best player in the world. Are you ready to take that title?"
SGA: "Yeah, for sure, it's another goal of mine to stand at the top of the mountain. The way I have this year has been pretty fun, it's definitely one of the things I want to check off my list."
Andrews: "Can you say you've checked it off?"
SGA: "Sure, why not?"
SGA On Joining Elite List With Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kareem Abdul Jabbar
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now the fourth player in NBA history to win the regular season MVP award, the scoring champion in the season, and the Finals MVP Award in the same season. It was first accomplished by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1971), then followed by Michael Jordan doing it four times with the Bulls (1991, 1992, 1996, and 1998) and Shaquille O'Neal (2000).
When Robin Roberts of Good Morning America asked him how he felt about this, Gilgeous-Alexander gave a humble response.
“Yeah, it's hard for me to even wrap my head around. But it just goes to show like when you work hard, when you focus on the right things, when you take care of the right things, and you stick with that program for a certain amount of time, you can achieve anything. Most importantly, when you dream and go after it that anything is possible.”
Is Gilgeous-Alexander The Best Player In The World?
Having won both the Michael Jordan MVP Award and the Bill Russell Finals MVP Award, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is undoubtedly at the pinnacle of basketball at the moment, the 'top of the mountain,' as he put it. However, being the best player in the world is something that cannot be constant all the time. While he may be the most accomplished, one could argue that he is not the most skilled individually.
Basketball is a team sport, but unfortunately, its comparisons usually come down to individual matchups. Winning the MVP award means he was the best player on the best team in the NBA this season. However, statistically, Nikola Jokic, Gilgeous-Alexander's competitor for the MVP Award, had a much better all-around performance than he did.
Nikola Jokic averaged 29.0 points, 12.7 rebounds, and 9.9 assists in 84 games he played in the 2025 regular season and playoffs, nearly a triple-double. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.0 points, 6.4 assists, and 5.1 rebounds in 99 games played in the 2025 regular season and playoffs.
Therefore, in my conclusion, Gilgeous-Alexander is the most accomplished basketball player in the world at the moment, but he is not the most skilled player individually.
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