Even in the second half of last season, right before the All-Star break, he lauded Shai Gilgeous-Alexander alongside Anthony Edwards and claimed those two can keep the game of basketball alive after James retires. He was asked which young star he was looking forward to playing with the most in the All-Star game last year.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has cemented his place among NBA greats after leading the OKC Thunder to the 2025 NBA Finals with a historic playoff performance.

Shai had put the team on his back this entire playoffs, but had done so in the regular season when his number two option, Chet Holmgren, went out with an injury for nearly two mon