Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Joins Michael Jordan & Shaquille O’Neal in Rare NBA List After Finals Win

It happened. After nearly five decades of waiting—46 years, to be exact—the Oklahoma City Thunder (and technically, the Seattle Supersonics lineage) are finally NBA Champions again. The year was 1979, the last time this franchise kissed the Larry O’Brien trophy. Fast forward to 2025, and they didn’t just win—they conquered.

In front of a thunderous crowd at Paycom Center, the Thunder took down the Indiana Pacers 103-91 in Game 7 of a Finals that had more plot twists than a Gregg Popovich timeout. This was the first Game 7 in nearly a decade, and boy, did it deliver.

But the real story? Three letters: SGA.

You know the MVP trophy? The scoring title? The Finals MVP? Only three players in NBA history had pulled that hat trick off in one season: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in 1971, Michael Jordan (three times, because of course he did), and Shaquille O’Neal in 2000.

Well, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander just became the fourth. That’s rarer than a Knicks fan admitting they like a Celtics player. We’re talking exclusive, first-class, yacht-type of club.

SGA capped off his already bonkers season with 29 points, 12 assists, and 5 rebounds in Game 7. That’s after already torching the Pacers for 72 points across Games 1 and 2—a Finals debut more ridiculous than the Warriors giving Jordan Poole a max deal.

His full Finals line? A tidy 30.3 points, 5.6 assists, and 4.6 rebounds per game, while dragging defenders like he was playing one-on-five on Rookie mode.

Make no mistake—OKC didn’t coast to this ring. Their 68-14 regular season record may have screamed dominance, but the playoffs? That was a grind.

They swept the Grizzlies like it was laundry day, then went seven rounds with Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets in a Western slugfest. After that, they dismantled Minnesota 4-1 in a series that doubled as a coming-out party for Chet Holmgren.

Then came the Finals—Indiana. A feisty squad led by Tyrese Haliburton (before his Achilles said “nope”) and Pascal Siakam. Game 7 was the decider, and the Thunder brought everything.

Holmgren Blocks History, Jalen Williams Delivers

Chet Holmgren might weigh less than a G-League mascot, but the man moves like a cheat code on defense. He set a Game 7 Finals record with 5 blocks, swatting Pacers shots like he had beef with the backboard.

And let’s talk Jalen Williams—SGA’s co-star, who’s as smooth as a midrange jumper from Chris Paul circa 2013. J-Dub dropped 20 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists in the biggest game of his life. If Shai was the conductor, Jalen was the first violinist.

Also? The Thunder bench finally woke up as Tyrese went down with an Achilles injury. Cason Wallace and Alex Caruso combined for 20 points and plenty of defensive pressure, while Isaiah Hartenstein quietly grabbed 9 boards and made more winning plays than an entire Karl Malone playoff series.

Let’s say it again—SGA is now in the same breath as Kareem, Shaq, and MJ. That’s not hyperbole. That’s a cold, hard stat.

He was named the 2025 NBA MVP, snagged the league scoring title, won Western Conference Finals MVP, and walked away with the Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy. That’s a full bingo card of greatness.

via Imago

Also, let’s not forget the context: this wasn’t a “stats on a lottery team” MVP season. The Thunder were the best team all year, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was their metronome. The guy could probably run the Princeton offense and still average 30. His Game 7 shooting wasn’t perfect (8-for-27), but he controlled the game like a puppet master—drawing fouls, dishing dimes, and leading with pure poise.

Indiana deserves a tip of the cap too. They fought until the very end, even after Tyrese Haliburton went down early in Game 7. His 9 points in just 7 minutes had Indiana buzzing, but when he limped off, it felt like a balloon popped. Bennedict Mathurin tried to carry the load with 24 points and a perfect 10-for-10 at the line. T.J. McConnell showed the heart of a scrappy 90s point guard with 16 on 61.5% shooting.

But the Thunder defense, especially in that 42-20 second-half run, was just too much. Like a Tom Thibodeau film session, there was nowhere to hide.

As the final buzzer rang and confetti flew, OKC fans got to live out a dream nearly half a century in the making. But this isn’t just a one-off. With SGA in his prime, Holmgren still scratching the surface, and Jalen Williams getting better by the quarter, this could be the NBA’s next great dynasty.

So next time someone says Shai Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t “flashy” enough or “box office” enough, just remind them: the man joined MJ and Shaq in a club reserved for the absolute elite. No gimmicks. No theatrics. Just buckets, brilliance, and banners.