On ESPN’s “First Take” yesterday, Stephen A. Smith said Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander tweeted an image of the now infamous trade between OKC and Los Angeles Clippers in which SGA, an NBA MVP finalist, and a whole lot more were traded by the Clippers in exchange for Paul George. But Gilgeous-Alexander never tweeted that.
This is what Smith said while using the fake SGA tweet to bolster his argument concerning the current state of the Clippers.
“You know it’s bad, Shannon [Sharpe], when Shai Gilgeous-Alexander… the brother put out this tweet,” Smith said as ESPN put a graphic of the Clippers-Thunder trade on the screen. “The opposition, who’s in the playoffs, literally — you got a young thoroughbred calling you out and saying, ‘Y’all gave me up, along with all of that for what you got.'”
That tweet, which was actually an image of a fake Instagram story, was actually sent out by NBACentel, an account dedicated to posting fake NBA content seemingly in the hopes of duping media personalities like Smith and Sharpe, the latter of whom said during that segment, “I saw what he tweeted,” which would seem to indicate he also believed the tweet to be from Gilgeous-Alexander.
But today, Smith claimed he was not had, he was not bamboozled, and he was certainly not led astray.
“First of all, apologies to the producer, that thing I mentioned about Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, that was not his post, that was a fake post,” Smith said before claiming he knew all along it was fake. “I know that. The producers told me that. I just forgot. That’s on me, my bad. So let’s make sure that America knows: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander never made that post.”
Smith’s story that he knew it was fake doesn’t really seem to make a whole lot of sense, though. Granted, ESPN never put the tweet or IG story on the broadcast, which would have confirmed at least a few people had been hoodwinked, but what was the reason for a producer bringing up a fake tweet to Smith in the first place?
Whatever the true story is — it very well may be a big misunderstanding with Smith and a “First Take” producer — but it definitely is not a good look regardless.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: From Clippers newcomer to Thunder superstar
Since being acquired by the Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has transformed from a promising young player into an NBA MVP finalist.
When he was traded, Gilgeous-Alexander was coming off a rookie season during which he averaged 10.8 points. But as the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, SGA wasn’t a ‘can’t-miss’ prospect, so the Clippers decided to part ways with the youngster as they completed a big offseason that centered on the acquisition of Paul George and signing of Kawhi Leonard.
Things have not worked out quite like the Clippers probably imagined, though. Los Angeles has struggled mightily with injuries and fallen well short of their obvious goal of winning the first NBA Championship in franchise history. Instead, the team has had to settle for a Western Conference Finals appearance (their first ever), and several disappointing postseason exits as George and Leonard battle injuries.
Since Gilgeous-Alexander’s arrival, the Thunder underwent a massive rebuild. After a playoff appearance led by Chris Paul in SGA’s first season in OKC, the Thunder won 46 combined games over the next two seasons. The Thunder and Gilegous-Alexander then took a leap in the 2022-23 season; SGA averaged a career-high 31.4 points as Oklahoma City won 40 games and fell just short of a playoff berth.
This season, Gilgeous-Alexander proved last season was no fluke, as he and the Thunder captured the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference following a stunning 57-win regular season. SGA topped 30 points per game for a second straight year, and for the first time, was named one of the three MVP finalists.
But the bigger prize than a MVP is still within the Thunder’s grasp; OKC swept the New Orleans Pelicans in the first round of the playoffs and won Game 1 of the second round against Luka Doncic, a fellow MVP candidate, and the Dallas Mavericks last night as SGA posted 29 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists.
If the Thunder can make it past the Mavericks, reaching the finals won’t get any easier. They would likely face the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have won all six of their playoff games so far, including two decisive contests over the defending champion Denver Nuggets.
Game 2 of the Thunder’s series vs. the Mavericks is set for tomorrow at 8:30 p.m. CT.
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