Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reveals his OKC Mount Rushmore, and he’s not on it
The The Oklahoma City Thunder have moved on their winning streak of late after a short stretch that included three losses to the San Antonio Spurs. The Thunder are now 30-5 after the recent road trip victory over the Golden State Warriorsand Shai Gilgeous-Alexander recently jumped into the driver’s seat for the league’s MVP award following the unfortunate injury to Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic.
Recently, Gilgeous-Alexander was asked to name his players on the Thunder’s Mount Rushmore, and surprisingly, he he did not include himself on the list.
“Russ, KD, James (Harden) and Paul George,” Gilgeous-Alexander told Sports Illustrated, via Legion Hoops on X, formerly Twitter.
While fans will appreciate his modesty in response, many would argue that Gilgeous-Alexander has already claimed the top spot in Thunder franchise history after winning the league MVP, NBA Championship and NBA Finals MVP last season with Oklahoma City.
The days of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden featured some epic moments and an NBA Finals run, to be sure. Paul George might also deserve a spot on the list just because he was the trade chip that ended up bringing the Thunder Gilgeous-Alexander and several other pieces that contributed to their championship run from a year ago.
These days, however, Gilgeous-Alexander is the clear head of the snake in Oklahoma City, averaging just north of 30 points per game and helping lead the Thunder to by far the best record in the NBA.
While talk of passing the Golden State Warriors in 2015-16 for the winning record has died down, Oklahoma City is still in legitimate contention to try to reach 70 wins this year.
Either way, the Thunder will next take the floor on Sunday night for a road game against the Phoenix Suns. Tipoff for that contest is set for 8:00 PM ET.
2026-01-04 18:43:00
