Not Anthony Edwards, Charles Barkley Crowns Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Face of the League While Predicting Thunder Championship

As the Conference Finals march on in the East and the West, the superstars of the league are looking to cement their legacies. One man who is living up to his name is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 26-year-old was named the 2025 MVP and is one win away from bringing his Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA Finals. Now, a basketball legend is hailing him as one of the faces of the league.

Charles Barkley and the Inside the NBA crew broke down OKC’s 128-126 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves one night ago to give the Thunder a 3-1 series lead. “Whoever come out the East, they gonna beat the hell of them,” shouted Chuck, and went on to make a pretty safe prediction seconds later.

“The Oklahoma City Thunder are gonna win the championship.” How certain was Chuck? Certain enough to invite anyone to bet $$$ against his pick. “And anybody want to bet me any amount of money come to my damn house cause I can afford it,” he said. “OKC is the best team in the NBA.”

Yes Chuck, the squad that won 68 games is the same squad that most analysts claim will win the NBA title. In fact, Las Vegas odds have the Thunder as a -375 bet to win this year’s trophy. Fortunately, Barkely would have a more sincere take regarding SGA, and how he is taking his place as one of the faces of the league, and in doing so, knocking Wolves star Anthony Edwards down a few pegs.

“ESPN, I love you guys. Don’t try to make Anthony Edwards the face of the NBA,” the 62-year-old suggested. “The face of the NBA is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Joker, and Giannis. You can’t give it to people. They have to take it, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is taking it.”

SGA certainly played the face of the league against Minnesota yesterday. The MVP dropped 40 points and 10 assists, and was just one rebound away from locking down a triple-double. More importantly, his performance clinched a VERY close game against the Wolves and the man that Chuck says is NOT a face of the league in Ant.

At this point, the Finals are OKC’s to lose. Whether it’s the Pacers or the Knicks in the East, the Thunder’s team is just too stacked with weapons. If Ant wants to take that spot, he needs to help the Wolves usher in an all-time comeback against the NBA’s current No. 1 team.

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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