Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has grown into leadership role

SAN FRANCISCO – As the tight-knit Oklahoma City Thunder squad was enjoying some brotherly banter after yet another win, their superstar guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander momentarily turned the focus back to basketball, issuing a warning to one young teammate.

“Hey, man, you need to start tucking in your jersey during the games. If you don’t tuck it in, we’re going to get a technical and it’s going to cost us a game,” Gilgeous-Alexander said matter of factly after a 105-101 road win against the Golden State Warriors on Nov. 27. Nearby, Thunder forward Jalen Williams nodded in agreement.

With most of the team’s players under age 30 and center Chet Holmgren sidelined because of an injury, Gilgeous-Alexander is undoubtedly the star of the team and needed as a leader. At 26 with title aspirations, the two-time NBA All-Star is taking the challenging role seriously
on the Western Conference’s current No. 1 team while playing at the level of an MVP candidate.

“I embrace it for sure. It comes with a burden,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Andscape. “It comes with the crown. It comes with all the things you dream about as a kid being a superstar in the NBA. I definitely dreamed about being this as a player and these things come with it. And I knew that. So, I definitely embrace it.”

Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder are a win away from advancing to the NBA Cup semifinals in Las Vegas on Saturday. To get there, the Thunder must win for the eighth time in nine
games Tuesday night over the visiting Dallas Mavericks. There’s additional motivation for all the players of the winning team: Each one receives $500,000 if the team wins the NBA Cup.

On what he would do with the winnings, Gilgeous-Alexander said: “I would give it away somehow. I don’t know how.”

The beginnings of how Gilgeous-Alexander evolved into a leader started during his only season with the LA Clippers as a rookie in 2018-19. Gilgeous-Alexander said that former Clippers teammates Tobias Harris, Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Marcin Gortat, Danilo
Gallinari and Avery Bradley helped him with “the cerebral part of the NBA.”

In his second NBA season, Gilgeous-Alexander played in Oklahoma City with Chris Paul, a 12-time NBA All-Star known for having one of the top basketball IQs the game has seen. By his third season, with Paul gone, Gilgeous-Alexander was undoubtedly the face of the franchise and one of the young budding stars of the NBA, averaging 23.7 points.

With a laid-back personality and game, Gilgeous-Alexander leads by example and with a calm and straightforward approach.

“At the end of the day, I try to do it my way. I try to lead my way,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “There are a bunch of good guys in our locker room. It makes it easy to be yourself. If you have guys’ backs, once they feel like you actually care for them, they will go to war for you and vice versa. We all want that, especially from a leader.”

Gilgeous-Alexander is viewed as an elite star of the NBA and was an All-NBA first-team selection last season. But while stars such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo have title rings, Gilgeous-Alexander does not despite flirting with success in the NBA and internationally.

The Thunder were the top seed in the Western Conference last season with 57 wins, and in their first postseason appearance since 2020, the Thunder swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. The Mavericks, however, defeated the Thunder in six games in the second round.

Looking back, Gilgeous-Alexander blamed himself for the Thunder’s disappointing end.

“Obviously, the experience you can’t talk about or teach,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “You have to just go through it. You make sure mentally that you’re in the right spots. A lot of it is reps in the game that you go through all [season]. It’s the little things that you don’t necessarily think about that add up and you really need in the playoffs.

“That is what I could have done a better job of last [season], helping them with the little things of the season. Whether that is turning down a shot for me for a shot for [themselves]. The
defense lets me take my shot, but I’m going to need them to make a shot in Game 7 when the defense is like, ‘You’re not scoring tonight.’ ”

Adding more growing pains for Gilgeous-Alexander was the 2024 Paris Games.

While the United States was the favorite in men’s basketball, the Canadians were expected to contend for a medal with a talented roster that included NBA standouts such as Gilgeous-Alexander, Jamal Murray and RJ Barrett. The Canadians won all three games in group play, but their dream of a medal ended after they lost to host France in the quarterfinals.

“It did suck. It’s tough because it comes every four years,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “It’s not like an NBA season. You don’t get a crack at it every year. Those group of guys don’t last every eight years. We were with them. There were guys that were [in their 30s], but in four years they won’t make the team. With the relationships, it’s really a once-in-a-lifetime experience. It sucks.
Fortunately, I will have another crack it.”

Gilgeous-Alexander is fourth in the NBA in scoring with an average of 29.8 points. Making matters tougher for the Thunder is the loss of Holmgren, who was averaging 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.6 blocks, about a month ago to a right hip fracture. Gilgeous-Alexandar and Williams, who is averaging 22 points, are the only two healthy members of the Thunder averaging more than 12 points.

With all the guidance Gilgeous-Alexander is giving to his teammates, there has to be someone he turns to for guidance and a push. He cited his wife, Hailey Summers, a fellow Canadian who helped her high school win city championships in basketball and soccer, as his go-to.

“She is brutally honest,” Shai Gilgeous-Alexander said. “She played basketball. She sees things. If my mindset is off, she makes sure I know. Those are the things that I can control. And she can
see if I wear it on my sleeve. She can see if I’m not aggressive and say, ‘What is the point of being out there if you’re not being aggressive?’ It’s a little hard, but I’m like, ‘[Expletive] you’re right.’

“I receive information from her a lot because she has no motive, no reason to bulls— me. She knows me better than anyone.”

In his first season with the Thunder, center Isaiah Hartenstein is still learning about Gilgeous-Alexander, but he has been impressed by his game.

“I didn’t know before that he can create for others …,” Hartenstein said. “Making the easy pass out the traps, not forcing it. But then also being able to attack the traps and get to his spots.
Off the court he is a great teammate. Very, very dedicated to his craft. Very professional. We’re the same age, but especially at his age, how professional he is, how serious he takes things, that has been pretty impressive.”

Gilgeous-Alexander knows that with defenses gearing to stop him, he needs his teammates to step up to win now and, more importantly, in the postseason. He also said that he
doesn’t let his leadership sidetrack him from doing what he needs to be ready every night.

So far so good, as the Thunder, at 18-5, have the West’s best record.

“It has become second nature now being the leader for so many years,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “But myself, I have the same routine every game day, so I’m taken care of. Guys will go through ups and downs during the season. So will I. It’s all about confidence. If I see a guy needing it, I give it to him periodically. It’s not overwhelming.

“A lot of it is making sure my teammates are confident and I’m feeling confident. So, I focus on trying to get them ready. And they’re good basketball players. They make decisive decisions. The right decisions. And hopefully, they will win.”