Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s Dad Has Strong Words Amid NBA Finals

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Gavin Groe | Last updated Jun 11, 2025 9:56 PM ET

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been the driving force behind Oklahoma City’s push for its first NBA title since 1979. Through the first two games of the 2025 NBA Finals, the 26-year-old guard has scored a combined 72 points—more than any player in their first two Finals appearances. He followed up a 38-point Game 1 with 34 points, eight assists, five rebounds and four steals in Game 2, helping the Thunder even the series.

Gilgeous-Alexander has scored at least 30 points in 13 of 18 playoff games this postseason and leads all players with 548 total points. He’s also averaging 30.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game while shooting 58.2% from the field.

After Game 2, the newly crowned 2025 NBA MVP shared a courtside moment with his father, Vaughn Alexander, that quickly caught attention.

In a video circulating online, Vaughn offered a crystal clear assessment of his son’s standing in the league.

“Are you nuts? There’s no one better than Shai right now,” he said. “I built that.”

SGA’s dad taking his son over everybody pic.twitter.com/IhpQRLMmOf
— Overtime (@overtime) June 11, 2025

Vaughn, who has had a visible presence throughout the Thunder’s playoff run, previously drew attention for holding onto the Western Conference finals MVP trophy during the team’s postgame celebration.

His latest remarks came a few weeks after Gilgeous-Alexander was officially named the 2025 NBA MVP, finishing ahead of Nikola Jokic in total votes.

Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game on 51.9% shooting and 89.8% from the line across 76 regular-season games. Oklahoma City's point guard led the league in total points (2,484) and free throws made per game (7.9), while Jokic topped the league in triple-doubles (34).

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

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