Shai Gilgeous-Alexander did something even the most seasoned NBA voices weren’t expecting. His second straight MVP quieted doubters and changed the narrative, boosted by 31.1 points, 55.3% shooting, and Oklahoma City’s league-best 64-18 record.

Shannon Sharpe was definitely surprised by SGA winning back-to-back MVP awards on NBA Court Side.

"Never in my wildest imagination that I think he could be this. I thought he would be a good player; I thought he would average 20 points," Sharpe said.

"Watched him a little bit when he was at the Clippers, watched him when he was early on in his career when he was with OKC, but if you going to tell me this man is going to average four consecutive years and averaging 30 points, shooting at the level he's shooting it at, man, get the hell out of here," Sharpe added.

And honestly, it’s easy to see why Sharpe is skeptical. When Gilgeous-Alexander was drafted as a relatively quiet prospect, no one envisioned him breaking out to become a multiple-MVP and putting up 30 points a game.

He's only 27 and has already become the 7th player in 40 years to win multiple MVPs before his 28th birthday, which includes LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Michael Jordan, and Tim Duncan.

SGA himself, though, deflects a lot of the credit.

"Some of it is just luck," he said. "I'm just lucky enough to be surrounded by great human beings, from the front office, coaching staff, to the guys I play with every night."

That modesty, however, does not lessen the numbers. He also captured the NBA's Clutch Player of the Year award after leading the league with 175 clutch points, leading Oklahoma City to a 64-18 record, the NBA's best mark for the second straight season.

And if the regular season was a statement, the playoffs are turning into something else entirely.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander Says the Thunder Still Have a Long Way to Go

The Oklahoma City Thunder are not just winning, they’re writing the record books. OKC has become the only franchise to win 80% of its games over a two-season span, joining the Chicago Bulls and Golden State Warriors, and also has the record for cumulative point differential over that same span.

However, the historic company doesn't mean the franchise player is not getting ahead of himself. He was asked outright if this Thunder team is in the same conversation as Jordan's Bulls and Curry's Warriors.

"I don't know," he told The California Post. "That's so far from where we are today. Those teams have won multiple in a row. We've won one and are in the [Western Conference finals] of this run, so it's so far away. We still have a lot to do to get there."

The franchise is currently producing one of the most dominant statistical stretches in NBA history. To turn potential into dynasty, they’ll first need to get past Victor Wembanyama and a 62-win Spurs team standing directly in their path.

Do you think the Thunder have what it takes to join the Bulls and Warriors in the dynasty conversation? Comment down below.

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Written by

Utsav Gupta

Edited by

Utsav Gupta