Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named NBA Most Valuable Player on Wednesday, making him the first former Kentucky basketball player to do so. In November of 2016, the 6-foot-5 guard from Toronto, Canada, decided to play basketball for John Calipari after decommiting from Florida. When Gilgeous-Alexander chose Kentucky over Syracuse, Texas, and UNLV, where do you think he stood on the ESPN Top 100 list of prospects for the class of 2017? The answer is 44. In fairness, Gilgeous-Alexander would finish at number 35 in the final rankings for the Worldwide Leader. That year, Mohamed Bamba, DeAndre Ayton, Michael Porter, and Marvin Bagley were the top three finishers. In your opinion, where did Gilgeous-Alexander stand in Calipari’s outstanding recruiting class from that cycle? No. 6. In other words, SGA was ranked beneath Jarred Vanderbilt (No. 19), Nick Richards (No. 17), PJ Washington (No. 12), Kevin Knox (No. 10), and Quade Green (No. 24). (The number 66 was Jemarl Baker.) The next query is: How many of the 37 games Gilgeous-Alexander started during his one season with the Cats? 24 is the answer. Gilgeous-Alexander, who attended Hamilton Heights Christian Academy in Chattanooga, was viewed as a poorer point guard prospect than Green, the five-star prospect from Philadelphia. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, a guard with Oklahoma City, was selected the 2024–25 season’s Most Valuable Player. Adams, Alonzo The USA TODAY Network The need for Gilgeous-Alexander to start the game didn’t become clear until about a month into the season. However, that was on a team that lost to Kansas State in a South Region quarterfinal in Atlanta, a region that Loyola Chicago ultimately won. That season, he averaged 14.4 points, which was second only to Knox’s 15.6 points. He got 29 points in UK’s victory against Tennessee in the SEC Tournament championship game, and he had a season-high 30 points against Vanderbilt. I asked, ‘You guys know who’s the best in practice?’ after glancing at our players. Who visits each day? Who brings it? In 2019, Calipari stated, “He does.” “You know what? He’s turning himself into a lottery winner. Even though Knox was taken two positions (No. 9 by the New York Knicks) before Gilgeous-Alexander (No. 11) went to the Los Angeles Clippers, by the end of the season, Gilgeous-Alexander was just that. Knox only appeared in 14 Golden State Warriors games this season. During his seven-year NBA career, he has made 77 starts. Nevertheless, in a complex trade that included Paul George being moved to Los Angeles, the Clippers traded Gilgeous-Alexander to the Oklahoma City Thunder in just one season. Not that you could have predicted Gilgeous-Alexander to be an NBA MVP in the future when he was a Wildcat, but there were a lot of admirable aspects of his style of play. Observers regarded Gilgeous-Alexander as an old-school player because of his quiet, collected manner and style. At that time, Calipari remarked, “Shai is not like a pure (point guard).” “Shai can get the point across.” Although he is competent, he leans more towards “I’m going to try and get some baskets.” I’m going to end this now. His game is somewhat outdated. Congratulations, my love. You earned it and convinced me every day at 6 a.m. Twitter: https://0QaEuO9aMx… Joel Justus, who goes by @CoachJoelJustus 21 May 2025 Gilgeous-Alexander has the best mid-range game in the NBA, despite the fact that 3-point shooting is currently the main focus of the league. The Canadian averaged a league-high 32.7 points and became the second player from his native nation to win MVP thanks to that unconventional strategy. Additionally, during his MVP victory speech on Wednesday night, Shai, being Shai, made sure to mention Steve Nash. Nash, the MVP in 2005 and 2006, told reporters Thursday, “It means the world.” “I don’t require it. However, there’s no greater pleasure than seeing these guys succeed and hearing from them that you had an influence on them. That’s what makes it all unique and valuable. Furthermore, I’m not sure if there are many praises that could be greater than that. What about Shai himself? “I saw what putting your head down, working, and controlling what you control can do for you, so I always thought I could be a really good player,” he told NBA.com. “I made amazing progress, but I never imagined this would occur.” Neither did many in 2016.
