After winning the NBA MVP award at age 26, Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is making his first Finals appearance, looking to lead the franchise to its first championship since the Seattle Supersonics won in 1978.
Gilgeous-Alexander is having an incredible 2024-25 campaign, and of course, he is looking to cap it off with a championship, but it has been historic regardless. In his Finals debut in Game 1 on Thursday, Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 38 points, but his night was spoiled by Tyrese Haliburton winning it for the Indiana Pacers.
In Sunday's Game 2, Gilgeous-Alexander made sure that his incredible performance would not get overshadowed.
In a win to even the series 1-1, Gilgeous-Alexander dropped 34 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals on 11-21 shooting from the field and 11-12 from the free-throw line.
With his impressive performance on Sunday night, Gilgeous-Alexander joined Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James as the only players in NBA history with 11+ games with 30+ points and 5+ assists in a single postseason.
Of course, Gilgeous-Alexander is not on the same level as Jordan and James, the two greatest to ever play the game, but that makes this feat even more impressive. Gilgeous-Alexander has been consistently dominant this season, and if he is able to keep this up for years to come, he could undoubtedly join the ranks of some of the greatest ever.
Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will now head to Indiana for Games 3 and 4, as the MVP of the league continues his chase for his first championship.