With a championship on the line, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is fighting with everything he has in the NBA Finals this year. Even after a loss in Game 1, Shai remains optimistic about his chances of victory in the series and hopes to follow in the footsteps of his greatest basketball idol, Kobe Bryant. According to the Thunder star, Bryant is his favorite player of all time despite never meeting the NBA legend.
"That's probably my favorite player of all time," said Shai on Kobe. "Never got the chance to meet him. Not only for me but for kids all across the world, his influence has gone through the roof. His legacy will be remembered forever because of the competitor and the basketball player that he was. Hopefully, I'll be somewhere close to that as a basketball player one day."
Watching Shai's game will make it clear that he's incorporated Bryant's play style into his basketball arsenal. Shai, like Kobe, is a methodical and meticulous scorer who excels in the mid-range but who can also drive or shoot for a variety of shots.
Kobe was one of the NBA's top isolation players, and so was Shai this season with averages of 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game on 51.9% shooting. He led the Thunder to the first seed in the West with a 68-14 record (their winningest season in franchise history).
While Shai never personally met Kobe, it seems that Bryant may have helped mold him into the MVP he is today. Of course, to truly match Kobe's greatness, Shai will have to win the Finals this year and start racking up rings.
Bryant was 21 when he won his first championship just a few years into the league. By the time he turned 26 (SGA's age), he had already won three championships alongside Shaquille O'Neal. In total, Kobe retired as a 5x champion as well as an MVP with 33,643 career points.
Shai has officially tied Kobe in the MVP category, but he still has a long way to go before his career can even hold a candle to No. 24. This year, Shai has a chance to add at least one Finals trophy to his collection but after a loss in Game 1, that outcome is now being threatened as the Thunder fall behind.
For the Thunder to win Game 2 and retake control of the series, a lot will need to go right for them, but mostly, they'll need more heroics from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. He scored 38 points in the loss on Thursday, and somehow it still wasn't enough to win.
In true Kobe fashion, Shai may have to channel a greater performance to help his team avoid a 2-0 hole before heading to Indiana. That game could make or break the series for the Thunder, and it will be a major legacy game for Shai with all the pressure on him to secure a victory.
Fortunately, SGA is more than up for the task, and because he grew up watching guys like Kobe, he knows how to handle everything that comes with being a leading superstar. No matter what happens this year, Shai will ensure his team is competitive for years to come and that they don't lose their hunger or desire for an NBA championship.
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