Jun 8, 2025; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) brings the ball up court against the Indiana Pacers during the first quarter of game two of the 2025 NBA Finals at Paycom Center. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Charles Barkley Offers Perspective on NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Originally posted on Fastbreak on SI | By Justin Grasso | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 7:44 PM ET

Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander improved his resume significantly this past season.

The 27-year-old guard has reached champion status while earning a nod as the league’s most valuable player throughout the course of a regular season.

Even with the new accolades, Gilgeous-Alexander tends to deal with criticism from outsiders. One NBA legend recently made remarks about the Toronto-born guard, which seems to get critical of Gilgeous-Alexander’s on-court mentality.

Charles Barkley Dishes Thoughts on SGA

“The one thing about OKC, even though I think Shai is a great. To me, he’s more like LeBron. He’s a really nice guy. He’s not out there trying to kill you,” Barkley told Bill Simmons.

Not necessarily a knock. More like pointing out the difference in NBA generations.

Barkley admits that LeBron James is one of the three best players he’s ever watched. However, he doesn’t believe James possesses the early NBA hunter mentality.

“Michael and Kobe were dangerous,” Barkley explained. “They will kill your [expletive]. LeBron is a nice guy, and that’s not a knock. He’s still great, great, great, but he’s a nice guy. Michael and Kobe weren’t nice guys. They’re different.”

James came up in different eras and has been the face of the league since entering the picture in the early 2000s. The mentality of players on a nightly basis doesn’t seem as intense. Entering the NBA in 2018, Gilgeous-Alexander is a product of that.

However, that’s not to say that Barkley is taking a dig at SGA. He was complimentary of the young star. At the end of the day, Gilgeous-Alexander’s approach with his personality won’t take away the fact that he’s an NBA champion, NBA Finals MVP, NBA MVP, All-NBA three times, and a three-time NBA All-Star.

Since joining the Thunder via trade six years ago, Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 27.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 5.5 assists per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from beyond the arc.

Last season, Gilgeous-Alexander won MVP by posting a stat line of 32.7 points per game, 5 rebounds per game, and 6.4 assists per game.

Next season, the young and talented Thunder roster plan to be right back in championship contention, as they want to get back to the NBA Finals to defend their status as the 2025 champions. Gilgeous-Alexander will need to be right back on his A-game, playing in a tough Western Conference once again.