Skilled basketball’s typically contentious biggest of all time debate will seemingly by no means be settled, however the dialog concerning the biggest Canadian to play within the NBA may very nicely be resolved as early as this week.
The Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who this season joined two-time NBA common season MVP winner Steve Nash of B.C. as the one Canadians to win the award, has dominated this yr’s NBA Finals in opposition to the Indiana Pacers, a collection that continues in a probably decisive Sport 6 tonight in Indianapolis.
Ought to the Thunder emerge victorious, or in a Sport 7 on Saturday again in Oklahoma Metropolis, Gilgeous-Alexander is the odds-on favorite to be awarded the Invoice Russell NBA Finals MVP Award.
Solely a handful of gamers have received each MVP honours in a single season, all of them amongst
: Willis Reed, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Moses Malone, Magic Johnson, Tim Duncan, Shaquille O’Neal, Hakeem Olajuwon, Larry Hen and LeBron James — who each completed it twice — and Michael Jordan, who was bestowed each honours on 4 events.
Steve Nash’s MVPs got here in successive seasons (2004-2006) when he was pivotal to the Phoenix Suns’ success at a time when the league was dominated by future Corridor of Famers reminiscent of Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Dwayne Wade and Allen Iverson, to call however a number of.
However the South African-born, Victoria-raised Nash by no means performed for a title throughout his exceptional 18-season Corridor of Fame profession. (Though he would later change into a de facto champion by the use of consulting duties with the Golden State Warriors in 2017.)
In an interview with
earlier this yr, Nash himself admitted that if Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t already, “he’ll be the most effective Canadian to ever play the sport — and in brief order.”
He’s carried out so by approaching the sport — on and off the courtroom — with composure and humility, whereas growing into a frontrunner who acknowledges his broader function for the younger workforce and its followers. A working example: he signed 429 autographs within the hours earlier than Sport 2, pondering he’d solely signed a number of dozen.
“That’s insane” • SGA reacts to what number of autographs he signed previous to Sport 2.
Shai and the Thunder return residence for a PIVOTAL Sport 5 vs. the Pacers tonight at 8:30pm/et on ABC! https://t.co/VJpPlSRAwE pic.twitter.com/dDamj3z4tR
– NBA (@nba) June 16, 2025
‘Best season for a Canadian’
Statistically, the 26-year-old from Hamilton, Ont., conclusively produced the one finest common season by a Canadian participant ever this yr. His 32.7 factors per recreation common led the league — as did his 49 video games with 30-plus factors — and was supported by 5 rebounds, 6.4 assists and a discipline aim proportion of 51.9 per cent.
His true capturing proportion, a stat used to find out shot effectivity, was an unimaginable 63.7 per cent.
Solely two different gamers within the NBA’s historical past have averaged related figures: Jordan and 2017-18 MVP James Harden.
“Steve (Nash) would let you know that is the best season for a Canadian,” stated Dwayne Washington, founding father of UPLAY Canada, who coached a younger Gilgeous-Alexander for a number of years earlier than he left to complete highschool taking part in in opposition to stiffer competitors in Tennessee.
“So when the mud clears, individuals are solely gonna take a look at statistics, and statistically it’s plain.”
Equally, Gilgeous-Alexander, already the recipient of the Western Convention Closing MVP award, has produced playoff numbers that put him in uncommon air.
He has scored 30-plus factors in 15 video games, tying him with Kobe Bryant for essentially the most in a single postseason and one off the file held by Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon. He additionally set an NBA file by scoring a minimum of 30 factors in 10 straight residence video games.
Extra historical past for SGA 🔥
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander joins Kobe Bryant, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Michael Jordan as the one gamers in NBA historical past with 15 or extra 30+ level video games in a single postseason! pic.twitter.com/x62BPS6pve
– NBA (@nba) June 17, 2025
Three of these have come within the Finals, throughout which he’s averaging 32.4 ppg and a pair of.4 steals, each of which rank among the many high 5 in historical past, per
. That features a 35-point efficiency in Sport 4 — highlighted by a 15-point run within the remaining 5 minutes to assist the Thunder come from behind and tie the collection up at two apiece — and a 31-point, 10-assist double-double in Sport 5.
his 162 factors by means of the primary 5 video games are the fourth most by any participant.
He additionally joined an elite group final week when he turned the twelfth participant with greater than 3,000 complete factors in a single season (common season and playoffs mixed).
Humble and hard-working
Like he was all season, Gilgeous-Alexander has continued to be humble about his success on the courtroom, selling selflessness and a team-first mentality in post-game interviews, typically hailing his teammates’ contributions as being simply as important.
After Sport 5, he heaped reward on ahead Jalen Williams’ 40-point effort and stated he was simply “attempting to have an effect on profitable.”
“Making an attempt to make a basketball play. I used to be attempting to assist the workforce win, attempting to be in place for the following rotation, subsequent play defensively. No matter comes with that, comes with that.”
Washington, whose program has offered teaching and mentorship to different Canadian NBA expertise reminiscent of R.J. Barrett, Lindell Wigginton, and Shaedon Sharpe, instructed Nationwide Publish he’s been impressed with how Gilgeous-Alexander is dealing with the defensive strain, even likening it to what Jordan skilled within the playoffs.
“That’s so onerous to do. A few of the finest athletes on the earth are double- and triple-teaming you, and also you’re nonetheless getting 30, 10 assists and profitable with a workforce so younger,” he defined. (The Thunder’s common age is simply 25.6 years, making them
the youngest squad to play for a title
for the reason that 1977 Portland Trailblazers.)
Washington provided extra comparisons to Jordan, together with Bryant, by way of Gilgeous-Alexander’s method to the sport off the courtroom — “He’s out-studying, outmaneuvering, out-planning, and out-working folks earlier than they even step on the courtroom,” he stated — and a fall-away mid-range bounce shot that each legends deployed with deadly effectivity all through their careers.
He stated the six-foot-six guard has been engaged on that shot for years, and it comes naturally to him. Nevertheless, most NBA coaches preach in opposition to the commonly low-percentage shot try regardless of it being a go-to for elite offensive gamers.
Washington stated Gilgeous-Alexander has been instructed to not shoot it “most of his profession,” however he’s continued to excellent it anyway.
“I do know he’s been engaged on it, so it’s nice to see it in actual time,“ Washington stated. “I’ll be sincere with you, if he’d listened to different folks telling him what to not do, he wouldn’t be there.”
Nash additionally provided a Jordan and Bryant comparability in an interview with the
final month, saying Gilgeous-Alexander “does the identical factor they do.”
“For those who take a look at the numbers and also you break it down, there’s a variety of issues he does which can be higher than everybody that’s even near these sort of gamers. So he’s ascending in the direction of that class.”
He’ll look to proceed that ascension when the NBA Finals resume tonight. Sport time is 8:30 p.m. ET.
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