Oklahoma City Thunder: Chris Paul Credit’s SGA’s Defense as Part of His Growth

His former teammate and future Hall of Famer, Chris Paul, has always known how much of an intelligent defender SGA is. After winning the 2025 MVP, CP3 credited his willingness to learn and improve as a defender, which has helped him grow in the league.

“He’s selfless. He hoops, he lets his game do the talking,” Paul said.

“The other thing, I remember when we was teammates, we used to talk about defense a lot. If you see some of the most elite players in our league, you don’t have to be Lu Dort. You don’t have to be the best defensive player on your team, they just want to see you try. Shai accepts that, when he has to, on any given night on both ends of the floor.”

After winning the MVP, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s next goal is to win the 2025 NBA title.

Former MVP ‘admires’ the Oklahoma City Thunder star

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is following in the footsteps of Steve Nash. The former NBA star won the MVP award in 2005 and 2006 while playing for the Phoenix Suns. Now that SGA secured the award, Nash revealed his honest thoughts on his fellow Canadian star winning.

“I respect and admire Shai so much,” Nash said. “Not only how he plays but how he carries himself and what he represents. It’s inspiring to watch someone’s unwavering desire to improve and perform. Shai is writing history and pushing boundaries. Proud is an understatement.”

“It means the world. There’s no better feeling than watching these guys thrive and them saying you had an effect on them. That makes it all worthwhile and special. “And I don’t know that there could be many compliments higher than that. It’s an honour that I was able to play some role in perhaps allowing them to dream and see what’s possible. He’s also inspiring a new generation, or many generations. It’s very powerful to have a player and a figure like that,” he added.

The Oklahoma City Thunder star is serving as a role model for aspiring Canadian ball players who want to succeed in the NBA.