CNN
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In 2000, Shaquille O’Neal put together one of the most dominant campaigns in NBA history. He won the scoring title, regular season MVP and NBA Finals MVP — culminating in a Lakers championship.
Only three players have ever pulled off that trifecta: O’Neal, Michael Jordan (four times) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. It hasn’t happened since.
Until, maybe, now.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is knocking on history’s door, and he’s doing it with the unshakable calm of a player who already belongs there. At just 26, Gilgeous-Alexander has the Oklahoma City Thunder on the cusp of their first NBA title since the franchise relocated from Seattle. Game 3 in the Finals is at 8:30 p.m. ET Wednesday in Indianapolis.
His smooth, yet herky-jerky style has had defenses guessing and gasping all season. Through the first two games of these NBA Finals, Gilgeous-Alexander scored 72 points, the most ever by a player in their first two career Finals games. He has topped 30 points in every game so far and is averaging more than 30 per game in the postseason.
“I’m being myself,” Gilgeous-Alexander said after Game 2. “I don’t think I tried to reinvent the wheel or step up to the plate with a different mindset. Just try to attack the game the right way. I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that so far.”
But Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t just putting on an offensive clinic – he’s leading the charge on defense as well. With seven steals already in the series, he’s one of just four players in Finals history to post back-to-back games with 30-plus points and three or more steals, joining Rick Barry, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.
“He just continues to progress and improve and rise to every occasion,” Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault said. “Yeah, unsurprising at this point. It’s just kind of what he does.”
And this isn’t just about a hot Finals stretch. Gilgeous-Alexander’s entire season has been a masterclass. He is now the 12th player in NBA history to score more than 3,000 points across the regular season and playoffs – joining the likes of Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Kobe Bryant.
“Shai, you can mark down 34 points before they even get on the plane for the next game,” Pacers coach Rick Carlisle said after Game 2. “The guy’s going to score. We’ve got to find ways to make it as tough as possible on him.”
The numbers point to a historic run, but they also highlight something rare in today’s NBA: A point guard as the undisputed engine of a Finals team. In the past 35 years, only Steph Curry has clearly held that mantle while winning a championship. Wings and bigs have typically dominated this stage.
And let’s not forget: Gilgeous-Alexander is only 26. The Thunder are the youngest team in the NBA, with a core that includes 24-year-old Jalen Williams and 23-year-old Chet Holmgren. They’ve arrived ahead of schedule — and Gilgeous-Alexander is the steady heartbeat driving it all.
If he completes the journey and delivers a championship to Oklahoma City, it won’t just be the crowning achievement of a breakout year. It will be one of the greatest individual seasons in NBA history.
