Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: MVP in Plain Sight and Beyond: A Competitive Spirit and Leadership Qualities That Set Him Apart

Chris Paul has been in the NBA for over a decade and has seen many talented players come and go. However, when it comes to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Paul believes that his competitive nature and relentless work ethic set him apart from the rest.

"I knew that year," Paul told NBC News when asked when he first thought Gilgeous-Alexander had MVP potential. "I just knew how into the game he was and how much he worked at it."

Gilgeous-Alexander, the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft, has had an unconventional rise to MVP status. He wasn't a high draft pick, was traded after his first season, and his Thunder teams failed to make the playoffs from 2021 through 2023. However, those who have been around him are hardly surprised by his individual success, which has led Oklahoma City to an NBA Finals showdown against the Indiana Pacers starting Thursday night.

"I knew he was going to end up somewhere, for sure," says Lu Dort, Oklahoma City's rugged perimeter stopper, who has been teammates with Gilgeous-Alexander since 2019. "Just the way he worked on himself and his game. Shai always had that mindset that nobody could stop him."

Guard Cason Wallace agrees, saying, "He has a routine. Not everybody has a routine; not everybody works hard. But I've seen from day one, from the first week of the season, he has a routine, and he's very consistent with it."

Consistency has been a hallmark in Gilgeous-Alexander's rise. He has averaged at least 30 points per game in each of the last three seasons, shot better than 50% from the field in four of the last five years, and always played stellar defense on the other end of the floor. If anything, it was the team's overall success that needed to catch up with the player.

"He was averaging 30 when this team wasn't as good, and then he was doing it while elevating the team at the same time," Dort says. "When you go from bottom five in the league to No. 1 seed for two straight years, anybody who does that deserves to get MVP."

So what makes Gilgeous-Alexander special? It starts with his competitive nature. Paul, who treats every contest like the championship, notices a similar trait in Gilgeous-Alexander.

"Man, we used to go at it in practice," Paul says. "The two players would butt heads in everything, from drills to one-on-one shooting games as the gym would start emptying out."

Dort agrees, saying, "Any time he has his shoes on and he's on the court, he's a pure competitor." Though it doesn't happen as much during the season, in the summers and in training camp, Dort will often line up across from Gilgeous-Alexander in practice. He says neither player holds back the intensity despite being teammates.

What makes Gilgeous-Alexander unique, however, is that his competitiveness doesn't get in the way of his leadership qualities on or off the court. Dort, who also plays with SGA for the Canadian national team, is especially close with him. He says Gilgeous-Alexander has a completely different personality off the floor, engaging him in conversations on any topic from fatherhood to music.

As low-stakes as it may sound, it's Gilgeous-Alexander's easy-going nature that helps his teammates be better versions of themselves. "He makes coming into the building a lot easier on days you don't want to be here," Wallace says. "Because you know guys are going to come with it and have great energy."

Paul agrees, saying, "My favorite part about his game is the trust that he has in his teammates." He notes that Gilgeous-Alexander is always making