Indianapolis, IN – Anyone that has seen Shai Gilgeous-Alexander play the last two seasons knows he’s been a star. It’s undeniable.
He’s had back to back 30 point per game seasons, back to back Allstar appearances, was All NBA First Team last season and is on track to do so again this season, plus more on the court accomplishments to even count. Shai was even voted as the best guard by his peers for this year’s Allstar Game which says a lot about how good they think he is while being in a conference with Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, Anthony Edwards, and De’Aaron Fox.
That’s all on the court stuff though.
Being a star off of the court is different. There are some guys who are superstars on the court who aren’t really stars off of the court like Nikola Jokic who has absolutely no interest in being a star off the court. Then there are guys who aren’t stars on the court but are huge stars off of the floor like Boban Marjanovic who has only started 25 games in his career but has 15 commercials.
Then there are the guys that are both. LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant. Those are the biggest stars on and off the court in the NBA. Superstars. To be one of those guys you truly have to be special. It takes a lot of dedication and sacrifices to be that guy on the court. The guy everyone depends on and the guy that gets a lot of the blame when things don’t go well.
Off of the floor, you have to be someone that fans really love. Someone that makes it easy for them to root for. The guy kids want to grow up to be like and have their parents buy all of the player’s gear. Have to have a personality that resonates with a lot of fans. Someone who could be the face of the league because of how big they are off of the court. Most importantly, you have to have a certainly level of charisma that fans find appealing.
After attending this year’s Allstar Weekend, it’s safe to say that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has truly become one of the few guys that’s a huge star on and off of the floor.
His star has risen and has arrived in a big way.
Covering Shai in Oklahoma City, it’s easy to see how big of a star he is on and off of the floor. He’s been the best player on the only pro sports team in the state for a few years now. It was easy to see the gradual increase in Gilgeous-Alexander jerseys in not only the arena but also around Oklahoma City. Even going on the road there have been quite a few Thunder #2 jerseys in the stands. It’s quite obvious how much everyone loves his IG captions. He’s become one of the league’s fashion icons and even made an appearance at The Met Gala.
That’s just in Oklahoma though and those are all things that are easily visible. If you aren’t a LeBron James or Steph Curry type of guy it’s truly hard to tell the moment a guy becomes a star off of the floor.
Allstar Weekend in Indianapolis made it very clear though, Shai is one of those guys and his star goes far beyond Oklahoma City. It’s massive.
SGA even has his own game at Allstar weekend where you can win SGA themed prizes including a signed SGA jersey and the shades he always wears. Shirt kinda tough too https://t.co/2XhkaPOw9g pic.twitter.com/4Cq1huQz4Y
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) February 15, 2024
There were constant reminders of that all weekend before he even made an appearance in Indianapolis. His picture plastered everywhere around the city. There weren’t many places you could go that you wouldn’t see his face. Whether it was on the multiple Allstar and Converse billboards and banners around the city or at the NBA Crossover fan experience where he was featured at pretty much every turn. He even had his own Shai Gilgeous-Alexander game there where fans could win Shai inspired rewards including a signed jersey.
Shai was also a very active person the whole weekend. At the NBA Crossover, he made an appearance at the Canada Goose station where he showed up to greet a very long line of fans from all around the world to get an autograph or take a picture with him. He also made a couple of appearances with Converse where he talked on panels about fashion and his life in front of fans and a few of the higher ups from Converse. Even giving away shoes and shirts after. All of that plus the NBA community events he attended.
“On the rise…us as a unit have gotten so much better so fast…just the growth that we’ve accomplished in a year and a half I’d be silly to say that we can’t accomplish it [a championship]”
– Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on what comes to mind when he here’s “Thunder” pic.twitter.com/CejrpoksKL
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) February 17, 2024
Guys that aren’t stars on and off the court don’t get that many appearances during Allstar weekend because fans might not want to see them that much. They don’t have higher ups from companies show up to one of their public appearances. That’s how big Shai has become.
Even walking down the streets of a very cold Indianapolis, inside the NBA Crossover, or one of the NBA Allstar events, if you didn’t see Shai’s face on a building or poster, you saw someone wearing his jersey. Fans absolutely love him and made sure they showed their Shai jersey no matter. And he had a lot of them in Indianapolis. It was very evident that he has really gotten the attention of fans younger and older. There were some who even traveled from Perry, OK to see him play in the Allstar game and noted how much of a star Shai was.
“A lot” an Oklahoman father and son says to BSO when asked if it felt like Shai was a bigger star now compared to last year.
“Out of sight out of mind man” the duo continued. “He stays to himself and lets his business talk on the floor. You don’t hear nothing bad about him. That’s the greatest thing you can ask for in a star. A star that’s not flamboyant. It makes it easier to root for him. It’s like when KD [Kevin Durant] and Russ [Russell Westbrook] were here. They weren’t out making a fool of themselves or making the team look bad and SGA is the same.
I never met the guy but he [Shai] just seems like a really solid dude. Like you can tell he’s got his stuff together. Not letting any distractions get in the way. Like even getting married. No one even knew. We love that kind of stuff.
He’s something else and is a perfect fit and star for Oklahoma. We’re lucky to have him and we really appreciate him.”
It wasn’t just the fans raving about Shai all weekend either.
The other Allstars, rookie and sophomores, the guys competing in Allstar Saturday Night. They all kept talking about how good Shai was. The biggest and probably loudest sentiments came from the league’s biggest stars, LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant.
All three NBA legends are nearing the end of their Hall of Fame careers and it’s almost time to find the heir apparent. They were all asked who could be the next face of the league and without hesitation or anything thinking involved, all three mentioned Shai among the guys that the torched could get passed to.
“You see Shai, Ant [Anthony Edwards], Book [Devin Booker], Luka [Doncic], Tyrese Maxey, Tyrese Haliburton.” Kevin Durant says when asked who could be the next face of the league. “It’s so many guys inspiring the next generation of hoopers after them to become basketball players that you can’t just pinpoint it to one or two guys. It’s about pushing the game for
ward. Setting a different standard in how we play and these guys are doing it right now.”
“There’s a lot of guys to pick from…You see Luka, Ant, Shai. Guys that are really coming into their prime and highly decorated already. But have a perspective I guess of what that means within the on court off court opportunities and the doors that that basketball opens.” Steph Curry when asked who can carry the mantle after he, LeBron, and KD retire.
Lebron took it a step forward and mentioned how he’s looking forward to spending time with Shai with in the locker room while also mentioning he can continue the torch like the olympic flame.
“I would say Shai. Ant Man. I feel like those are two of the guys that could continue the torch after I’m done. After Steph, KD, the guys that have been setting the standard for so many years…those young guys are amazing. I’m looking forward to just seeing those guys showcase the talent they’re capable of.”
That’s some really high praise from some of the game’s biggest legends. They didn’t just mention him as a throw in. He was mentioned first by the current faces of the league. They know. They see the writing on the wall.
So does the NBA.
Among being heavenly featured around the city of Indianapolis, Shai was getting the star treatment by the NBA in possibly the loudest way. Putting him at the podium at the Allstar’s media day, the NBA let it be known he is a guy they want everyone to see and pay attention to. That’s something that may seem minor to a lot of people but it’s true a very thunderous statement made by the NBA. The podium is usually only reserved for those upper echelon stars. They guys that set themselves apart from everyone else.
It’s a spot that was shared with Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and LeBron James. There were plenty of other guys the NBA could have chose. Luka has been an Allstar more. Nikola Jokic is a two time MVP and reining NBA Champion and Finals MVP. Anthony Edwards has possibly the best charisma in the NBA. It wasn’t any of them. It was Shai
Simply put, Shai was a star among the stars.
And the NBA made sure everyone knew that.
For Shai though, even though he notices the difference in his increased star power this year, it’s something he dreamed about and something he knew was coming.
“It’s one of those things that I expected to happen as I got better as a basketball player and became more consistent.” Shai tells BSO after being asked if he notices feels the difference in his star power.
“It comes with it. It’s fun. It’s the stuff you dream about.” Shai continued
“Not at all” Shai says when asked if it’s getting tough to handle the increased star power.
“I’ve been dreaming about this moment. This point in my career. I know what comes with it and I embrace it.”
The thing about being superstar, especially off of the floor is, it has to organically happen. No one player chooses it. The fans do. A guy has to want it, of course but it isn’t solely up to them. Winning helps. Being a great person is better. Shai has all of those qualities.
The best thing about Shai’s star rising and him becoming a superstar on and off of their floor though, isn’t the fact that this is 100% organic and completely deserved. It’s that he hasn’t and won’t change no matter what and that’s a big reason why he’s a huge star now.
One thing is for certain though, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the superstar is here and he’s here to stay.
