Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Covers SLAM 254

SLAM: You’re currently the frontrunner to win MVP this season—according to Vegas odds, according to the media, etc. How much do you pay attention to stuff like that, and how big of a goal is it for you?  

SGA: It’s another blessing. So many things [happened] from then to now for me to get here. Some of it is luck, some of it is helping hands, some of it is hard work. A lot of stars have to align and things have for me, and I’m super blessed for that. The feeling is amazing. Obviously, nothing is won in January, clearly. But to be playing at the level that I am, to be recognized, to my team winning—things are obviously going in the right direction. I haven’t reached any of my goals yet, so I’m not satisfied. I have a lot more to accomplish. The work won’t stop. But yeah, headed down the right path, for sure.  

SLAM: Anthony Edwards made a comment recently that you were the clear-cut MVP this season and should’ve been the MVP last season. What’s it like having other star players give you that type of praise?   SGA: Your peers do it at a high level. They understand the grind it takes, understand the day to day. Nobody understands more than them. To me, their opinion holds the most weight because they do the exact same thing that I do at the same level and understand what it takes. So it’s a good feeling.  

SLAM: Do you agree with his assertion that you should’ve won last year?

SGA: Umm, I don’t really care about [not winning it last year] much. It’s something I can’t control. I can’t control votes. I tried to give last year my all, tried to be the best version of myself. And I guess that wasn’t enough. So, my mindset in the summertime was to try to make sure that this year it was enough.  

SLAM: There are people online who compare you to Allen Iverson. Have you seen those comparisons?  

SGA: I haven’t heard those, but I try not to get into social media and scouring through social media while I’m going through the season. But that’s an amazing feeling as well. Allen Iverson was, like, my favorite basketball player growing up—the reason why I had braids as a kid, wore a headband, the reason why I started playing basketball. So, it’s a cool feeling. The things he’s done for the game, for the culture—on and off the court—are second to none. So that’s pretty cool.  

SLAM: Did you study his game when you were growing up?  

SGA: I never really studied much of his game, just ’cause I was younger and I just wasn’t studying [yet]. I was just watching as a fan. But something that stood out about him was his supreme confidence. On the court, he played the same way. His confidence never wavered. Good shot, bad shot. He made four in a row, five in a row. He always played the same way. Played hard. And off the court, he clearly had the utmost confidence in his fashion. His swag. A story that always stuck with me was him taking fines to wear fits. That’s always something that stood out to me. He always made sure he did it his way, and he went out swinging.

SLAM: You mentioned there’s still a lot more to accomplish. What does that list of goals look like?  

SGA: My biggest thing is, I just want to win a championship. That’s why you play the game. When I was in 9th grade and tried out for the team, I wanted to win a city championship. I always just want to win—on the biggest and highest stage of basketball in the world. That’s my main and only focus. All I really care about. If I get that one day, I’ll be all right.  

SLAM: You were cut from your JV team in ninth grade; how much did that impact the way you went about pursuing basketball?  

SGA: I used it as motivation. I never sulked or was down bad about it or was in my feelings about it. I just took it as, I wasn’t good enough. I thought I was good enough; clearly I wasn’t. I wanted to make sure that I never had that feeling again. And I think I did a pretty good job at that.