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Chris Paul Pulls Back the Curtain on Who Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Really Is

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ashish Mathur | Last updated May 23, 2025 1:51 PM ET

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander won the MVP Award this year, beating out Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the NBA in total points and points per game this season while leading the Thunder to the best record in the league. The Kentucky product averaged 32.7 points while shooting 51.9% from the field, 37.5% from 3 and 89.8% from the foul line during the regular season.

The Thunder acquired Gilgeous-Alexander from the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019 in the blockbuster Paul George trade. OKC also acquired Chris Paul from the Houston Rockets in 2019 in the Russell Westbrook trade.

Paul and Gilgeous-Alexander were only teammates for one season (2019-20) on the Thunder, but they developed a very strong bond. Paul, who will make the Hall of Fame one day, spoke about Gilgeous-Alexander on Thursday during a visit with ESPN.

CP3 revealed the surprising nugget that SGA actually talks a lot of trash.

"Man, he’s actually pretty simple," Paul said about SGA. "He’s funny. He talks a lot of junk. I know he seems real humble and all that, but he talks a lot. He’s simple in his work ethic. He’s either shopping, he shops all day, or watching basketball. And he’s about his family and I appreciate that about him."

The Thunder are two wins away from advancing to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012. Gilgeous-Alexander had 31 points in Game 1 of the conference finals and 38 in Game 2.

A three-time All-Star, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 29.8 points in this year's postseason. He's only the second Canadian player ever to win MVP, joining Hall of Famer Steve Nash, who won two MVPs with the Phoenix Suns.

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

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