Shai Gilgeous-Alexander reveals his favorite player: “He was a special talent, special person”

With his Oklahoma City Thunder team now in the NBA Finals, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the chance to establish himself as the league’s biggest star.

SGA finished the regular season as the scoring champion and was recently crowned Most Valuable Player. His team may have suffered a dramatic defeat to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 but he has the talent to drag his team back from that disappointment.

On Saturday Gilgeous-Alexander spoke to reporters ahead of Game 2. Among other things, he was asked about comparisons between him and Kobe Bryant and revealed that the NBA legend was a major inspiration growing up.

“That’s probably my favorite player of all time. I never got the chance to meet him,” SGA said sadly.

“But not only me, for kids all across the world, his influence has gone through the roof because of the competitor and the basketball player that he was. Hopefully I’m somewhere close to that as a basketball player one day. But he was a special talent, special person, and God rest his soul.”

Kobe retired from the game in 2016 and was tragically killed in a helicopter crash in California in January 2020. He spent his entire 20-year playing career with the LA Lakers, picking up five championship rings with the team.

If Gilgeous-Alexander can help the Thunder fight back and clinch his first championship ring he will match a feat last achieved by Kobe’s Lakers teammate Shaquille O’Neal in 1999/00.

Playing with the Lakers that year, Shaq won the NBA scoring title and clinched a championship ring. Since then, no player has won both in a single season. SGA can follow in his footsteps this year.

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