Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may have officially won the 2025 NBA Finals MVP following the Oklahoma City Thunder's Game 7 win over the Indiana Pacers, but if Bill Simmons had a say, he suggests he would have voted for Kawhi Leonard.
At least, that's what he jokingly said on a recent episode of The Bill Simmons Podcast, as the veteran sports writer playfully threw shade at the six-time All-Star by pointing out how he was a key reason why SGA was sent to the Sooner State in the first place.
Bill Simmons jokingly credits Kawhi Leonard for Thunder championship
At this point, all Thunder fans are familiar with the 2019 blockbuster exchange that sent Gilgeous-Alexander from the LA Clippers to Oklahoma City.
Six full seasons removed from that all-time heist, the vast majority of people who discuss the deal tend to focus heavily on the involvement of Paul George, who was the one who requested to be traded to Los Angeles in the first place.
However, as Simmons alluded to in his comical MVP argument, without Leonard, there's a case to be made that this very exchange may not have happened.
Let's not forget that, before George had been sent to LA, Kawhi, who was fresh off winning a title with the Toronto Raptors, had already been reported to have agreed to a deal with the organization in free agency.
It's also imperative to remember that Leonard personally called and texted the then Thunder cornerstone in an attempt to entice him to ask out of OKC and team up with him in Hollywood.
Ultimately, his efforts proved to be successful and, on July 6, news broke that George had been shipped out to Los Angeles, with the Thunder landing a return package headlined by five future first-round picks, two pick swaps, and, of course, Gilgeous-Alexander.
Not only did this deal land Oklahoma City 2025's scoring champion, league MVP, and NBA Finals MVP, but it also directly led them to adding SGA's All-NBA co-star Jalen Williams (selected with Los Angeles' 12 overall pick in 2022), who, even while dealing with a nagging wrist injury that required offseason surgery, played an integral role in their title run.
With a couple of cornerstone stars just now entering into the prime of their career, as well as more picks coming their way over the next few years as a result of the storied 2019 blockbuster, be it just for their 2025 championship or, hopefully, in the event that they officially become the game's next great dynasty as so many expect, the Clippers will always be associated with this club's dominant makeup.
As Simmons gleefully reminded us, so, too, will Kawhi.