Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was an MVP hiding in plain sight

Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has not had a typical rise to MVP status. Yet those who’ve been around the guard are hardly surprised by his individual success.

Chris Paul knows most people will question whether he really knew.

The future Hall of Fame point guard played for the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2019-20 season, and it was that year Paul formed a tight bond with the team’s current point guard: 2025 NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The two players, separated by over 13 years in age, were inseparable. They would stay late after practice to challenge each other in shooting contests. On road trips, they would eschew nightlife for extensive film breakdowns of upcoming opponents, with the younger Gilgeous-Alexander trying to glean as much information as possible from the veteran Paul.

“I knew that year,” Paul told NBC News when he was asked when he first thought Gilgeous-Alexander had MVP potential, even though SGA was in only his second year in the league during their lone season together. “I just knew how into the game he was and how much he worked at it.”

Gilgeous-Alexander, the 11th overall pick in the 2018 draft, hasn’t had a typical rise to MVP status. He wasn’t a very high draft pick. He was traded after his first season. And from 2021 through 2023, his Thunder teams failed to make the playoffs.