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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pulled a Ricky Bobby before Game 2

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports
By Darryn Albert | Last updated May 23, 2025 5:49 PM ET

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander apparently believes that if you ain’t first, you’re last.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star Gilgeous-Alexander hilariously pulled a Ricky Bobby before Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. Gilgeous-Alexander was signing autographs ahead of the game at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City, O.K. when one young fan made an unusual request.

The fan requested that Gilgeous-Alexander sign his forehead. Gilgeous-Alexander obliged, and the moment was caught on video (which was posted by the NBA’s official X page). Take a look below.

SGA signing a young fan's forehead before Game 2 #KiaMVP and man of the people…

MIN-OKC | ESPN | 8:30pm/et pic.twitter.com/aNbw2ViKLk
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2025

That was all too reminiscent of the iconic scene from the 2006 film “Talladega Nights.” You may recall that Ricky Bobby, played by Will Ferrell, went deep into autograph mode and signed the forehead of a baby (before also proceeding to accidentally sign the forehead of his personal assistant).

As for the fan whose forehead Gilgeous-Alexander signed, he knew exactly what he was doing there. The fan told the camera that he had already gotten forehead autographs from Thunder players Isaiah Hartenstein and Kenrich Williams to go along with the one from Gilgeous-Alexander.

Meanwhile, the newly-minted NBA MVP Gilgeous-Alexander went into full “shake and bake” mode during Game 2 against the Timberwolves. He finished with 38 points on 12/21 shooting in a 118-103 win for the Thunder (even frustrating Minnesota to the point that they started committing flagrant fouls on him).

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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