Few modern NBA players get compared to both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, but Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the exception. The 2025 MVP has been linked to His Airness and the Black Mamba due to his incredible on-court performances, including his mastery over the mid-range jumpers, something both Kobe and MJ excelled at.
Advertisement
SGA is not unaware of the comparison, especially to Bryant. The OKC Thunder superstar was asked whether he studied the Mamba about this during a scrum for the NBA Finals, where his team battles the Indiana Pacers.
“That’s probably my favorite player of all time,” said Shai. “Hopefully, I’m somewhere close to that as a basketball player one day.”
One person who also sees a little bit of Kobe Bryant in Shai is his teammate Jalen Williams. During the same press tour, the 24-year-old baller mentioned that basketball enthusiasts could probably spot the subtle similarities between the two.
JDub on the Shai-Kobe comparison: “There are a lot of similarities there. Feel like if you are really paying attention to basketball and watch the way he plays, it’s a lot of similarities” https://t.co/DR7hd7q21b pic.twitter.com/MygJAcfH73
— Oh No He Didn’t (@ohnohedidnt24) June 7, 2025
“There are a lot of similarities there,” said Jalen. “Feel like if you are really paying attention to basketball and watch the way he plays, it’s a lot of similarities.” Williams wasn’t done there either.
“It’s cool that he can pick certain aspects of his game and kind of mimic that a little bit, and then add his own touch to it,” the Thunder star added. “That shows you the kind of player that he is.”
These are strong words from Jalen, considering how big of a Mamba fan he is himself. In fact, he chose to wear the No. 8 jersey in tribute to the Lakers’ legend. “I grew up watching him. He speaks for himself and the legacy that he has,” Jalen revealed.
Shai could not have picked a better season for his revival of the mid-range arsenal of offense. This Thunder dominated the Western Conference behind his scoring prowess, but the team’s defensive lockdowns propelled them to the best record in the NBA.
But will that be enough to get past the Indiana Pacers and their magic man, Tyrese Haliburton? The Thunder had a comfortable lead in Game 1, but Indy’s miraculous comeback magic struck again, with Hali hitting a walk-off game-winner. SGA had a chance to ice the game with a middy, but it rolled out.
Fortunately for SGA and the Thunder, that was only Game 1, and something they most likely won’t let happen again. But if this series goes to a Game 7, that missed mid-range might haunt Shai for the rest of his career.
