Jeff Teague On The Fence Over Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s ‘Thunder GOAT’ Status

The 2024–25 season belonged to the Oklahoma City Thunder, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Canadian had one of the best individual statistical seasons in NBA history, winning both the MVP and the Finals MVP. It was also the Thunder’s first title since relocating to Oklahoma from Seattle in 2008. But is it enough to call SGA the franchise GOAT?

There have been some incredible players who have repped OKC over the last decade or so. Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, Paul George, James Harden have all been Thunder players. So, on the Club 520 podcast, hosted by Jeff Teague, the panelists debated who the true best Thunder ever was.

Teague, who won an NBA title with the Milwaukee Bucks, along with the rest of his panel, had it down to the obvious choices: Shai, Westbrook, and Durant. And Teague’s choice was interesting, to say the least.

“Russ is the No. 1 Thunder, but Shai gonna be the No. 1,” claimed Teague. One of his buddies immediately responded, “Shai No. 1 now,” which led to an argument about each man, including Durant, having a right to be called OKC’s GOAT. They didn’t really do a deep statistical dive, but that doesn’t mean we can’t.

KD’s 2013–14 MVP year was basketball poetry. He poured in 32 points a game on over 50% shooting while adding 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He was efficient, unstoppable, and put together one of the best scoring runs in modern history. When he was locked in, no one on earth could guard him. He rightfully won MVP that year.

Russ’s 2016–17 season was pure chaos in the best way. He averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists while leading the league in scoring and assists. He broke the single-season triple-double record with 42 games and also won MVP that season.

SGA, meanwhile, averaged 32 PPG and helped his team win the chip. This is the info that eventually made Teague change his mind and name the 27-year-old as his new pick for the Thunder’s top guy of all time.

“Shai the best now that I think about it. Shai averaged 32 points a game,” he stated before ranking them all. “Yeah he the No. 1. I’m gonna go Russ the No. 2 and KD 3. Just because I think Russ, I’m speaking for their fanbase probably.”

Shai honestly deserves the label of GOAT Thunder player. That’s not to take away from the greatness of Russ or KD. It’s just that SGA has many more years ahead of him to add to that legacy. Being able to do something the other two Hall of Famers couldn’t is quite impressive.

At the end of the day, it’s all subjective. The GOAT conversation will always change, even when it is centered on one team’s history. But I think we can all agree that the one man who is not a Thunder GOAT is James Harden.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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