Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

SGA's scathing address to critics proves he's not that humble after all

By Sai Mohan | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 8:35 AM ET

It turns out Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — the reigning NBA MVP, Finals MVP and scoring champion — isn't that humble after all.

In a scathing address to his detractors on Wednesday, SGA essentially admitted that he bit his tongue and held back his true feelings during the 2024-25 season, when many doubted his team's ability to replicate their regular-season success in the playoffs.

The Toronto native wrote that the Thunder's critics' opinions were "rooted in resentment," even as the team dominated from start to finish. SGA also took issue with bandwagoners who changed their tone once his team climbed the mountaintop, while adding that he and his teammates "ignored the noise" every step of the way.

Interestingly, SGA addressed the perception of him being humble and "nonchalant" for choosing to ignore previous criticism. The star guard admitted that he decided not to react to detractors until he could definitively prove them wrong. Now that he's hoisted the Larry O'Brien Trophy, his only competition is "the man in the reflection."

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A post shared by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (@shai)

The post proves that SGA has an arrogance about him that may have been indiscernible in his news conferences and on-court demeanor. He evidently did a fine job of playing possum up until now.

In March, ESPN's Brian Windhorst reported that players around the NBA were eager to be on the "same side of the bracket" as the Thunder in the playoffs, as they did "not respect them" as credible opponents.

One wonders if they would feel the same entering the 2025-26 season. The Thunder enter the season as overwhelming favorites to repeat as champions. With the Celtics, Pacers, Mavericks and Bucks all dealing with significant injuries to star players, the Thunder may face little resistance in their pursuit of back-to-back NBA championships.

Sai Mohan

A veteran sportswriter based in Portugal, Sai covers the NBA for Yardbarker and a few local news outlets. He had the honor of covering sporting events across four different continents as a newspaper reporter. Some of his all-time favorite athletes include Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Luís Figo, Ayrton Senna and Steffi Graf.

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