OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is mostly an expressionless, emotionless model of consistency.
Whether Oklahoma City’s superstar guard has an off night or scores 50 points, the cool Canadian with the impeccable style sticks to the script. He says he’s not an all-time great yet, but Gilgeous-Alexander seems to be on his way to greatness.
His understated persona is unusual in today’s NBA, especially coming from a super-talented 26-year-old in a world of self promotion and viral antics. But watch Gilgeous-Alexander — before, during and after games — and it becomes plausible that the MVP finalist actually buys what he’s selling.
So rarely does Gilgeous-Alexander deviate from his approach that even a hint of feeling from him becomes a moment. After he was caught smiling following a Game 3 loss to the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference semifinals, a post of it on X drew more than 900,000 views in 12 hours.
“ Some fans were taunting me,” he said. “I know how the game goes, I know how life is. It’s easy to taunt when you’re up. I don’t ever want to show them that I’m defeated or mad or anything like that. Nothing’s written, the series is not over and we have a lot to be optimistic about.”