Thunder's Shai Gilgeous-Alexander explains why he chose to sub out against Nuggets, ending notable streak

It's no secret that many NBA players are incredibly selfish and starved for stats and records.

They'll do whatever it takes to make themselves look good in the box score at the end of the night.

So it was refreshing in this era of me-me-me NBA superstars that the best player in the league went another way.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the league's two-time reigning MVP, had a chance Thursday night against the Denver Nuggets to extend his NBA record of scoring 20 or more points in a game for the 142nd straight time.

Instead, with two minutes left and three points to extend his streak, Oklahoma City led 93-76 with 1:43 left, and he asked Thunder coach Mark Daigneault to sub him out.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander explains why he subbed out

"I was going to go out there, and then I saw that [the Nuggets] had subbed, so I thought we should sub, too," Gilgeous-Alexander said. "You always treat the game with respect."

Daigneault said he wanted to leave Gilgeous-Alexander in because a "historic streak" was on the line and praised his star player's maturity.

"I just think of the class that it shows and the perspective that it shows for him to say, 'Hey, I'm out now. The game's calling for me to be subbed out,'" Daigneault said. "That was his substitution. And of all the things that I admire about him, that's toward the top of the list in terms of moments that I appreciate about him."

Gilgeous-Alexander's regular-season streak dates back nearly two years. The last time he scored fewer than 20 points was Oct. 30, 2024, when he had 18 points in a win over the San Antonio Spurs.

In March, Gilgeous-Alexander passed Wilt Chamberlain for the longest-running 20-plus point streak in NBA history with his 127th game.

"I feel like you always treat the game with respect," Gilgeous-Alexander said, per Clemente Almanza of OKC Thunder Wire. "God willing, I have many more games to start another streak, so."