Sunday’s Game 2 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Indiana Pacers and the Oklahoma City Thunder began with more than just on-court drama.
Moments before tip-off, Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari shared a moment on-court that has since gone viral.
The video, shared by the NBA on X, shows Gilgeous-Alexander greeting his former college coach in a brief hug on the sidelines just minutes before the opening tip at Paycom Center.
Gilgeous-Alexander played his lone collegiate season at Kentucky under Calipari during the 2017-18 campaign, choosing the Wildcats over Kansas, Syracuse, Texas and UNLV.
Fans online were quick to react to the post.
"What a great coach!" said one fan.
"Coach Cal’s pride shines as Shai dominates Finals stage," another user commented.
"Ready for a big Game 2 ð," said another commenter.
"SGA's got this. Cal's got the coaching skills. Can't lose with Kentucky on the court," replied one other fan.
"What a freaking legend," commented another user.
"Coach Cal in the Finals? Sounds like a real nail-biter. I've got a feeling SGA is gonna bring the heat", another user responded.
NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament Second Round-Arkansas at St. Johns
Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari.
Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images
The 6-foot-6 Canadian guard was named the league’s Most Valuable Player for the 2024-25 season after leading the Thunder to a franchise-best 68-14 record and earning the scoring title with an average of 32.7 points per game.
Gilgeous-Alexander has been selected to three consecutive NBA All-Star Games (2023-2025), earned three All-NBA First Team honors and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2019.
As a freshman in 2017-18 under Calipari, he started in 24 of 37 games, averaged 14.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.1 rebounds per contest, and earned second-team All-SEC honors along with SEC All-Freshman and SEC Tournament MVP recognition.
His performance helped Kentucky reach the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16, taking out Davidson in the first round and Buffalo in the second, a game in which Gilgous-Alexander led the way with 27 points.